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Since the beginning of May, six autonomous drones have been performing daily security flights over the Antwerp port area. Never before has a drone network of this scale been built in a complex industrial environment. We equipped the control centre with fibre optics and connected everything to the Proximus network. Our Sales Director Stijn Baert and Project Manager Bram De Ceurt tell us more about the project.
- Client: Proximus
- Location: Port of Antwerp-Bruges
- Start: February 2022
- End: March 2023
- Solution: fitting of drone network control centre with fibre optics
What exactly is it about?
Six autonomous drones are now circling above the Port of Antwerp-Bruges covering an area of about 120 km2: a world first. During their inspection flights, the drones perform safety checks on the facilities. They also inspect quay walls, berths and other port infrastructure to spot damage. In addition, they detect oil spills and floating waste, collect images of incidents, and so on.
The drone inspections are automatic, efficient and thorough, and save a lot of human travel within the port area. These are so-called BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) drone flights, which means that the pilot cannot see the exact location of his or her drone.
For Circet, this project is an impressive reference for the installation of fibre in a B2B environment. - Salesdirecteur Stijn Baert
Why is this a vital project for Circet?
“First and foremost, it was a completely new project for all partners,” says Bram. “You felt that all the stakeholders were willing to involve each other in the research and to learn from the other partners. It was exciting for our teams to be able to help find the best solution to a complex problem right from the start.”
“For Circet, this project is also an impressive reference for the installation of fibre in a B2B environment,” emphasises Stijn. “We are best known for the roll-out of fibre-to-the-home. But Circet is also helping to build the vital infrastructure of tomorrow in the business world. And in this case, the port of the future. Port of Antwerp-Bruges makes smart use of new technology to create a safe working environment and reduce its carbon footprint.”
What exactly was our role in this project?
The drone network – which has been given the name D-Hive drone-in-a-box – is remotely controlled from a Command & Control Centre in the heart of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. Circet played a part in getting the nerve centre up and running.
Our teams pulled the fibre optic cables and then connected to the Proximus network. - Projectmanager Bram De Ceurt
Bram: “First, we helped determine the best locations in the port area for the drone charging stations and the Command & Control centre. There are many things to consider in a port area: the proximity of locks or quays, cable networks and pipelines that you have to avoid when you start digging, company sites handling hazardous substances, and lots more.”
“Our teams pulled the fibre optic cables and then connected to the Proximus network,” Bram continues. “In this process in particular, getting approval from the many stakeholders took a while. These included utilities, public authorities, and concession holders of private land to name but a few. All in all, from the first site visits and the permits to the actual connections, this challenging project took a year to complete.”
