Every year, more than 11 million tons of cargo move through SeaPort Manatee on the coast of west central Florida. With nearby connections to a wide range of interstates and railroads, this busy port moves trade forward as an essential component of the global supply chain.
Achieving and maintaining safe and secure operations is a primary concern for any port. Effective security programs and technologies not only safeguard the people and cargo at the port, but they also help restrict the entry of dangerous or illegal materials; help prevent terrorist activity, piracy, and theft; and help protect cargo like oil tankers from harming the environment.
Safeguarding maritime port operations requires comprehensive, integrated security technologies
Maritime ports, however, can be difficult to secure due to their large size and complex infrastructure, which present numerous entry points for potential security threats. Multiple modes of transportation (e.g., ships, trucks, trains) and a high volume of goods moving through mean that ports like SeaPort Manatee often find it challenging to monitor and track all individuals and cargo entering and leaving the port. In addition, ports often have a diverse range of stakeholders, including government agencies, private companies, and international organizations, each with their own security protocols and priorities. Coordinating and integrating these different security measures can be complicated and time-consuming.
For more than a decade, the security team at SeaPort Manatee has partnered with Siemens to design, implement, and maintain comprehensive, integrated security technologies that align with the port’s processes and workflows. As this port has grown tremendously in recent years, it also outgrew its initial Siemens security platform, so the teams worked together to effectively refresh and redesign the port’s security technologies in ways that not only meet their needs today but also provide scalability for continued growth.
SeaPort Manatee objectives for security technology refresh
The SeaPort needed a flexible, easily configurable system that would make it effortless for drivers to enter and exit the port as quickly as possible. The upgraded system would also need to manage access for the employees, visitors, contractors, and delivery / service providers who routinely do business at SeaPort Manatee.
Understanding workflows
As teams from Siemens and SeaPort Manatee set out to redesign their security technology workflow, they began by taking a close look at their existing operations to understand the required steps for every type of person to enter the port. For example, when a visitor arrived at the security gate, they would present their government ID, such as their TWIC or driver’s license. An agent would manually enter the visitor’s details into the platform to create a visitor record and complete a visual verification to ensure that the photo matched the person. At the same time, the system would check to confirm that the ID was valid (i.e., it had not been reported lost or stolen). Then, the visitor paid any necessary fees for arriving at the port before meeting with a security escort if one was required.
This process could take as long as ten minutes at the visitor window; for a busy port managing hundreds of visitors per day, this process was no longer sustainable for SeaPort Manatee.
Today, however, this entry process is automated, allowing SeaPort Manatee visitors to clear the security gate in a matter of seconds. When a driver arrives at an inbound security gate, they simply hold their ID to an optical proximity reader, which automatically validates the driver’s credentials and allows access to the port. The driver repeats this process to leave the port as well.
SiPass integrated + Siveillance Video
The heart and soul of SeaPort Manatee’s refreshed security technologies is SiPass integrated. This platform provides an interface to manage the port’s entire security operation, encompassing access card readers, cargo tracking, escort assignment and monitoring, live alarm handling, visual verifications, gate operations, fee collections, and email notifications.
Importantly, SiPass integrated works with Siveillance Video, improving situational awareness throughout the port. Security operators can now monitor all vehicles at SeaPort Manatee from the gate to the visitor’s destination and every point in between.
Streamlining and automating workflows in the access control center reduces processing time by 80%
The new integrated platform streamlines and automates routine security verifications, data capture, and fee transactions, allowing SeaPort Manatee to adapt some operating procedures in ways that free agents to focus on what matters most – making decisions, rather than data entry and software navigation.
And while the time savings have been a boon to SeaPort Manatee in terms both of visitor / cargo throughput, the more efficient workflow has had a positive impact on employee satisfaction as well. That is, instead of waiting for one member of the security force to radio another when it was time to accept or release a port visitor, employees now receive automated alerts on their smartphones, where they also receive a greater level of detail about each visitor than before.
Working toward compliance with U.S. Coast Guard and other key stakeholders
Every year, St. Pierre must update and submit the port’s security program to the U.S. Coast Guard, which monitors American sea ports and ensures they comply with security regulations. With the new suite of technologies, verifying compliance is easier than before.
