Cattewater Harbour in Plymouth has upgraded its security with the installation of 360 Vision Technology's Invictus cameras. These advanced imaging solutions, known for their durability and high performance, are now in place to keep operations secure along the harbor's expansive and dynamic shoreline. This decision to implement the British-made camera technology followed a thorough on-site assessment.
Situated on Devon's south coast, Plymouth is not only the largest city in the southwest region of the UK but also hosts Western Europe's most extensive naval base. The Port of Plymouth caters to both civilian leisure activities, such as paddleboarding and yachting, and commercial freight. The port's commercial operations include handling a range of cargo at terminals like Cattedown Wharves and Victoria Wharf, including liquid and dry bulk goods, as well as project-specific loads for heavy industries.
Under the management of the Cattewater Harbour Commissioners, the port adheres to stringent national standards to ensure the secure and efficient flow of maritime traffic. Responsibilities include surveying dredging channels, regulating traffic, and maintaining vital navigation marks and lights. The port's pilots provide round-the-clock guidance to vessels over 50 meters, securing each vessel's safe passage.
The harbor expands over a broad coastal area, with boundaries that include Mountbatten Breakwater to the east and Laira Bridge to the north. Ensuring the safety of all harbor users, from military ships to small fishing boats and recreational watercraft, falls to the Harbour Master. Surveillance is paramount, and Invictus cameras, known for their effectiveness in such environments, were seen as invaluable for total water and shoreline coverage.
To bring this surveillance project to life, Outersight (UK), a consultancy known for its innovative solutions, partnered with the Cattewater Harbour Commissioners. "We have worked with 360 Vision on many projects and relied on their expertise," said Peter Barlow, Managing Director of Outersight (UK). The team provided the port with a hands-on experience of the capabilities of Invictus cameras, demonstrating their utility in the port's conditions.
Outersight (UK) strategically installed a network of Invictus cameras throughout the port, including on marker light poles marking the port's entrance. According to Peter Barlow, the selection of camera locations balanced maximum coverage with cost-effectiveness, aided by the Invictus cameras' flexibility and excellent zoom functionalities.
The Invictus cameras offer features such as a 32x zoom and marine-grade paint to withstand the harsh saline environment. Some cameras are equipped with PoE for simplified installation, providing comprehensive surveillance across the harbor, including key areas like Cattewater Berths and Barbican Landing Stage. Critical footage is accessible 24/7 through integration with the Blue Iris VMS, offering both fixed and mobile access for monitoring.
The installation of Invictus cameras not only enhances operational security but also provides a low-cost, reliable solution for the port. The network's low power consumption aligns with Elexon charge code compliance, providing significant savings in operational costs. As emphasized by Richard Allan, CEO & PFSO of the Cattewater Harbour Commissioners, "The Invictus camera has everything we need, and at a very competitive price."
Since implementing the new CCTV system, the harbor has significantly improved its ability to monitor and resolve various incidents. This comprehensive surveillance system aids in keeping the area safe, monitoring compliance, and preventing criminal activity. "The port keeps watch on a wide variety of vessels...evidential footage provides us with the power to convict irresponsible users," Richard Allan affirmed.
Cattewater Harbor in Plymouth is harnessing the power and performance of 360 Vision Technology’s Invictus cameras, to protect and secure operations across the challenging and changing conditions at the harbor’s extensive shoreline.
The UK manufacturer of ruggedized HD, radar and thermal PTZ imaging cameras, was selected to provide their industry-pioneering camera technology after a comprehensive on-site evaluation.
Civilian pleasure traffic
Plymouth is the largest city on the southwest Peninsula and the port is also home to the largest naval base
Located on the south coast of Devon, Plymouth is the largest city on the southwest Peninsula and the port is also home to the largest naval base in Western Europe.
As well as civilian pleasure traffic from paddleboards to yachts, the Port of Plymouth handles a variety of cargo vessels through its commercial terminals at Cattedown Wharves, Victoria Wharf and Corporation Wharf. Freight includes liquid and dry bulk, as well as specialist project consignments for construction and heavy industry.
Safe operation
The Cattewater Harbor Commissioners are responsible for the smooth and safe running of the port. They are required to maintain and order safe navigation for all manner of craft, maintain and survey dredging channels, maintain navigation marks and lights, provide pilotage services, and traffic regulation within the Cattewater Harbor and the remainder of the civil port.
At the port, nationally agreed standards for the safety of marine operations are required to be applied with a commitment to both local and international security measures, with the port’s own pilots boarding and guiding vessels with a 24/7 essential safety service - ensuring that all vessels over 50m complete their passage safely.
Ensure the safety of navigation
The harbor covers a wide coastline, with limits to the east of a line joining Mountbatten Breakwater
The harbor covers an expansive coastline, with limits to the east of a line joining Mountbatten Breakwater to Fishers Nose, bounded by Sutton Lock Gates to the North, and Laira Bridge to the East.
The Harbor Master’s role is to ensure the safety of navigation for all harbor users - whether military warships, cross-channel ferries, UAVs, underwater research vessels, small fishing boats, fuel tankers, large cargo ships, jet skis, or paddle boarders - and to take preventative measures to avoid incidents.
“We are responsible for the safety of vessels, people and operations,” says Capt. Richard Allan, CEO & Harbor Master, PFSO (Port Facility Security Officer), Cattewater Harbor Commissioners. “We need to know what’s happening in the port at all times”.
Effective surveillance coverage
To achieve this, a camera system covering the port was deemed invaluable, with requirements for total coverage of the water and shoreline, combined with economy, performance and longevity of the camera equipment in the harsh seaport environment.
The camera system covering the port was deemed invaluable, with a need for total coverage of the water
To bring the project to fruition, Outersight (UK), a 'hands-on' consultancy dedicated to delivering innovative technical solutions were brought on board.
Working with the Cattewater Harbor Commissioners and 360 Vision on previous projects for over ten years, and with experience working with universities, government departments, broadcasters, nature conservation bodies, natural heritage visitor centers, as well as port authorities-Cattewater Harbor Commissioners knew that Outersight (UK) were the people with the experience required for the project.
Surveillance camera experience and technological expertise
“We have worked with 360 Vision on many projects and have relied on the manufacturer’s surveillance camera experience and technological expertise before,” says Peter Barlow, Managing Director of Outersight (UK).
“It was no different with this project. Right from the start, the team at 360 Vision helped us to demonstrate the advantages of using a network of their Invictus cameras at the port - primarily with an on-site demonstration to the port management team - so they could get real ‘eyes-on’ experience of the Invictus camera within the environment in which it would be used.”
360 Vision Invictus cameras
Outersight team installed a network of 360 Vision Invictus cameras around the port to cover the water
The Outersight (UK) team installed a network of 360 Vision Invictus cameras around the port to cover the water and shoreline, including cameras high on the marker light poles that signal the entrance to the port.
“The camera locations were selected based on the most economical way to cover the area required,” continues Peter. “The flexibility of mounting options and visual performance of the Invictus cameras really paid dividends, allowing us to provide the port with the coverage they required, allied to the most economical cost."
Brilliant zoom function of the Invictus cameras
Peter added: “The fact that we have access to the navigation light towers which by default have a great view of the water, allied with the brilliant zoom function of the Invictus cameras means we do not need many cameras to cover a really large area."
"By specifying really great cameras and optimizing each camera position, we have managed to cover an extensive area with only a small amount of equipment - giving us great return on investment and the lowest possible running costs.”
Access to the cameras to oversee operations
The 360 Vision cameras cover the entire harbor area, including Cattewater Berths, Barbican Landing Stage, marina areas, slipways, and the vast shoreline. They are located on navigation lights dotted around the estuary and on top of the harbor master’s building, with all having good open aspects to the water for maximum surveillance coverage.
360 Vision Invictus cameras feature 32x zoom and a 5-year guaranteed marine-grade paint
Additionally, The Cattewater Harbor Master provides the Kings Harbor Master with access to the cameras to oversee operations in the MoD dockyard and Plymouth Sound.
360 Vision Invictus cameras feature 32x zoom and a 5-year guaranteed marine-grade paint – an essential attribute for use within the harbor’s corrosive saline environment. Additionally, several Invictus cameras with PoE option were used – greatly simplifying installation at the more remote reaches of the system.
Image quality of the Invictus camera
“The 32x zoom capability and stable image quality of the Invictus camera provides wide area coverage and excellent zoomed-in image results,” explains Peter. “This is especially advantageous to identify small vessels at distance – an essential requirement at the port.”
“The Invictus camera has everything we need and at a very competitive price,” adds Richard. “It’s especially reliable in the harsh coastal environment, where we deal with a combination of sea salt, saline air and hot summer sun.”
Network of Invictus cameras
Surveillance system is recorded 24/7 and video footage can be accessed by the Harbor Master in the control room
With essential marine environment features, such as viewing window wiper and low light capability, the network of Invictus cameras is capable of alerting the harbor management team to any operational, security or safety situation, allowing them to take action and suppress the situation before it escalates.
The surveillance system is recorded 24/7 and video footage can be accessed by the Harbor Master in the control room and by mobile login by authorized duty personnel on site, via seamless integration with the Blue Iris VMS.
Optical clarity and zoom capability
Optical clarity and zoom capability of the camera network ensures instant visual confirmation, no matter what size of vessel or incident, with members of the harbor management team afforded remote access to the camera network via their phones for instant confirmation of incidents while on the ground or out on the water.
The low power operation of the Invictus cameras also means lower running costs for the port, as certified by the camera’s Elexon charge code compliance for Unmetered Supply (UMS) outdoor powered devices, where electricity consumption is billed at just 30W per camera deployed
360 Vision’s Invictus cameras
Organizations operating CCTV systems can achieve power consumption savings of an incredible 70%
Organizations operating CCTV systems can achieve power consumption savings of an incredible 70%. This is a significantly lower power draw versus peer PTZ cameras with generic Charge Codes which are typically billed at 100W, and helps to lower daily running costs at the port.
Using 360 Vision’s Invictus cameras as its backbone, Cattewater Harbor Commissioners now have an electronic surveillance system that is reliable, future-proof, rugged, economical and delivers the high performance required to meet the demanding daily operations of the busy seaport.
Inception of the new CCTV system
“Making things safe and secure for everyone using the port is greatly aided by the surveillance camera system,” says Richard. “The port keeps watch on a wide variety of vessels, including those carrying oil, gas, cattle feed and aggregate, to military warships, cross-channel ferries and underwater research vessels."
"We also see paddle boarders and jet ski enthusiasts out on the waters too. Evidential footage from the system provides us with the power to convict irresponsible users, such as jet ski riders speeding, or illegal bass fishing brought in on small boats at night."
“Since the inception of the new CCTV system, we have been able to solve a vast variety of incidents from the control room - keeping the public safe, ensuring shipping adheres to the rules of the port and preventing crime.”
