Milford Haven Port upgrade to HD CCTV with Pelco

Pelco, by Schneider Electric, has provided a complete end-to-end HD surveillance solution for Milford Haven Port Authority (MHPA).

The Port, at the heart of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, is the biggest port in Wales and the third largest in the UK. Coping with a high volume of shipping and cargo, the Port was looking for a HD solution that could incorporate the existing estate of analogue cameras. In addition, the system was being expanded across three sites and the Port was seeking virtual matrix functionality which offers unmatched fault tolerance, making it ideal for high traffic areas such as the port.

Mark Andrews, Corporate Affairs Director at Milford Haven Port Authority said: “Due to the need to ensure security is absolutely maintained around the clock, we had a number of key requirements.

“We wanted to capitalise on the advancements made in HD technology, utilise cameras that offered low light capability to ensure image clarity, provide our operators with a flexible system and ensure it could be extended in the future as well as interface with the existing analogue system.”

Sam Wells from installers Security Centres (GB) Ltd has been working with MHPA for seven years after they installed a CCTV system there in 2005.

He said: “The design brief this time was they wanted to retain and make use of the existing infrastructure and cameras while expanding the system to utilise the latest HD technology from the cameras through to the operators’ workstations.

“HD technology was important to the client because there has been a huge leap forward in the use of this technology in the security market. As MHPA is responsible for a busy port and ferry terminal that operates around the clock, providing staff with the best possible imaging was their primary concern, hence the investment to upgrade the system.”

In response to the brief, Security Centres specified Pelco by Schneider Electric’s SarixSurevision network cameras. These cameras were strategically located to monitor entrances and exits to the port and in areas with particularly challenging lighting conditions; such as the lock used by ships and leisure craft to get into the dock in Milford Haven, which suffers some visibility constraints such as the sun reflecting off the water. In addition, Security Centres also used a Pelco Spectra HD dome camera with PTZ lens.

MHPA has strict guidelines for monitoring of the passenger terminal at the Port of Pembroke, so the transition of the existing cameras to the new system had to be seamless.

The installers used the Endura IP system to provide fault tolerance.

Mr Wells described the Sarix SureVision and Spectra HD cameras as “outstanding” at dealing with extreme environmental conditions

He also said: “By having dedicated hardware decoders for each camera, coupled with the system running on its own dedicated network using a ruggedised system and the equipment designed to perform in hostile environments, the customer benefited from a more resilient solution.”