Protecting international shipping containers in a major port connecting the Eastern Mediterranean and Anatolia with the West.

Assan Port, İskenderun, was established in June 2010 by Assan Liman İşletmeleri A.Ş., one of the Kibar Group companies. It was the first dedicated container terminal in the Gulf of Iskenderun and caters to international container shipping companies (general cargo ships, project cargo ships, and dry bulk carriers) with an annual established capacity of 250,000 TEU (Twenty Equipment Unit). Assan Port’s leadership is aiming to reach a capacity of 400,000 TEU with new investments.

The Port is the only container terminal that connects Northern Iraq to the West, as well as serving companies in the Eastern Mediterranean, South-eastern Anatolia, and the south of Central Anatolia. Therefore, its seamless operations and security are of utmost importance to the region. Assan Port provides port security in accordance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS).

Modernising security

The Port’s security operations were hindered by an old CCTV system that wasn’t flexible or detailed enough for operators to fully understand what was happening on-site. Assan Port’s security identified a need to improve security efficiency and situational awareness, to effectively protect the Port’s ships, equipment, shipyards, and containers. The system had to combat a range of threats including theft, vandalism and sabotage, trespassing, and terrorism.

Hanwha Techwin was chosen by Teknoteam Teknoloji Ürünleri due to the range of products available and because it provides a complete solution with SSM and a five-year extended warranty.

State-of-the-art

The entire system was replaced with Wisenet devices, including over 177 Wisenet Q Series cameras and three Wisenet X PTZ PLUS cameras. The team also invested in the 64-channel XRN-6410DB4 NVR, which is equipped with a dual switched-mode power supply that ensures continuity of recording for mission-critical applications. Moreover, the NVRs are able to read AI metadata, enabling operators to quickly and accurately search video for objects and attributes associated to them.

The Wisenet X PTZ PLUS range enables users to capture evidence-grade images of activity occurring in large open area applications. This makes it ideal for monitoring the large Assan Port shipyard to capture high-quality images of objects up to a distance of 200 metres in all lighting conditions. The range also comes with an AI auto-tracking feature which allows control room operators to efficiently monitor the movement of objects whilst remaining hands-free to control other cameras. With a right-click of a mouse, operators can programme a camera to lock onto and auto-track a specific object. It does so with the help of deep learning video analytics which detects and classifies people and vehicles. The video analytics is supported by AI algorithms unique to Hanwha Techwin.

“Thanks to Hanwha Techwin technology, the solution now in place provides a complete and accurate overview of Assan Port,” says Adnan Sanli of Teknoteam Teknoloji Ürünleri. “Using AI to automatically track objects and calling on deep learning to search for and classify objects helps keep this vital port secure – and the shipping that relies on it flowing efficiently.”

Fast, accurate and cost effective

The Q Series cameras – of which 110 have been installed at the site – feature Wide Dynamic Range (WDR), which performs at up to 120dB to produce clear images from scenes containing a challenging mix of bright and dark areas. The devices support Power over Ethernet (PoE), which saves time and reduces installation costs, as it negates the need to run separate cabling and install a power supply at each camera location. This makes it a cost-effective and fast solution to install across the Port. There is also the option to store video and data at the edge via an SD/SDHC/SDXC memory slot, so if there is any disruption to the network, video evidence is not lost.

Eyup Tetik, Corporate Sales Manager at ENTPA ELEKTRONİK A.Ş.explains, “It was important to the Assan Port team that they had a robust video system that improved situational awareness and response times. As a busy international Port with millions of dollars of stock and equipment, having the best security, that’s intuitive to use and easy to install, was essential.”

24/7 monitoring

With the new Wisenet solution, security team members are able to monitor the shipyard and its assets 24/7 both on-site and remotely. They can also view live and recorded video via smart tablets — which enables them to continue monitoring the Port and investigate events while moving around the site.

Future plans

The team plans to install Wisenet cameras across three different locations with all video footage and data being monitored from one central control room. Assan Port’s leadership team is looking for more efficient ways to increase its load capacity while maintaining the same level of service and without adding a significant headcount. The efficiency and scalability of the Wisenet system is supporting them in meeting this goal.