poland
Te location of each container is registered by the computer, and it is essential that the crane operators follow their instructions accurately, stacking them in the right place and in the right order. “It’s a very complex job”, Michal observes. “It sometimes happens that a crane operator misplaces containers. Ten someone has to go and physically look for the container and read its number. Tat’s really annoying and time-taking!” Equal care must be taken by the ship planners in an adjacent office, where the loading process is planned for each departing vessel. Factors to be considered in devising the stowage plan include the weight of each container (the ship’s cargo must be balanced) and the planned ports of call (containers destined for the next port must be at the top of the stack). TETRA radio coverage for the entire site is provided
With a clear view across the yard, the duty shift manager directs operations
It’s pretty difficult to precisely put a container on the truck. So the truckers can help the operator to lower the container to the precise place on the truck.”
Managing resources Te whole process is managed from workstations high up in the adjacent office building, from whose windows the staff have a bird’s-eye view of the terminal. In charge is a shift manager who directs all operations. Supporting him, with the aid of special software, are traffic planners, who decide how to handle each ship as it arrives, and traffic controllers, who manage resources on the ground. Tese processes demand constant communication by radio. “Tey must know what is going on when a vessel arrives
and what equipment they need to load a vessel”, says IT specialist Michal Janik. “Tat requires communication. Also, they are directly talking to the yard manager who is in the yard, and he sees with his own eyes what the vessel is doing. It’s not only pre-planning – it’s also managing while the job is being done. Tey say what container should be moved from where to where in the yard, or loaded on to trucks, or which crane should take a container and where to.”
by antennas mounted on the roof of the office building. From here they provide excellent radio penetration – even reaching large storage yard which we can see in the distance, packed with Polish-manufactured cars awaiting export from the terminal.
Radio installation On the floor below, a tiny radio room is equipped with three compact TetraFlex IP-connected base stations from Damm Cellular, plus a pair of Damm controller units. Tese provide 11 traffic channels plus one control channel. But when the planned expansion of the terminal goes ahead, more of these units may be added to increase radio capacity, and possibly a second antenna location for improved performance and dependability. “It’s not necessary yet”, says Przemyslaw Stys, another IT specialist, “but we think about it in the future. When we extend to use two locations, we must buy controllers.” System integration for the project was by Radmor, a long-established radiocommunications company based in Gdynia. Formerly one of the biggest manufacturers of radios and accessories in the Warsaw Pact countries, Radmor now supplies tactical communications equipment to Poland’s defence ministry, manufacturing Tales products under licence. In addition, through a collaborative European project, it is developing an advanced software-defined handportable radio for military use. In the civil market, its principal customers are police, fire brigades and border guards. “We started to co-operate with TETRA manufacturers and suppliers for the Polish market because we had and we have good knowledge of the market, we have good contacts with our customers”, explains Szymon Slotwinski, marketing manager for Radmor. Marek Cichowski, sales department manager, adds:
“We have an agreement with Cassidian as a distributor for terminals and also we’ve now signed an agreement for TETRA infrastructure for Claricor, their small systems. We co-operate with Damm for infrastructure, because they don’t produce terminals.”
From the traffic office, instructions are sent to all operators in the yard 28
Keeping it simple At the Baltic Container Terminal, the radio system has been deliberately kept simple. “Pretty much we’ve got
TE TRA TODAY Issue 14 2013
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