FLIR Helps Keep One of Canada’s Largest Ports Safe
As Canada’s second largest container port and North America’s fastest growing port for transpacific trade, the Port of Prince Rupert in British Columbia is committed to providing mariners with safe, efficient and productive port operations.
To ensure the port operates safely and securely, rotating crews work day and night aboard the Charles Hays patrol boat, a vessel fitted with a full complement of FLIR thermal and Raymarine navigation technologies. The equipment includes two 12-inch Raymarine MFDs, Raymarine radar, Raymarine AIS, five visible security cameras (two forward-looking, one port, one starboard, and one stern), and a FLIR M400 multi-sensor marine camera. The FLIR M400 and the visible cameras are integrated with a network video recorder for real-time HD video recording of vessel operations.
The FLIR M400 fulfils several roles for the Port Authority by improving port safety, providing thermal-enhanced search and rescue capabilities, offering amplified situational awareness and helping them avoid costly large object strikes such as logs. The port is situated along British Columbia’s rugged, forested coastline and the extreme 25-foot tides frequently bring fallen trees off the shoreline and into navigation pathways. Using the M400, the crew of the Charles Hays easily identifies these floating log hazards.
“We trust FLIR and Raymarine products. The technology is above and beyond anything I’ve seen. It’s easy to use and the imaging is very prominent. You know exactly what you’re looking at,” said Bernie Egan, Supervisor, Marine Operations, Prince Rupert Port Authority.
Always investing in equipment to make the harbour safer and more secure, Egan noted that the Port Authority will take delivery of a new 60-foot patrol boat in 2018, which will feature a FLIR M400XR multi-sensor thermal camera. Engineered for first responders, the M400XR is equipped with FLIR video tracking technology, allowing the crew of the Charles Hays to keep a watchful eye on any object or vessel of interest. The M400XR also features a unique firefighting mode that will allow the crew to survey the scene of a fire and identify any hot spots using a firefighting-specific isothermic colour palette.
