Cardax FT: securing the Port of Tauranga, NZ

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Gallagher Security Management Systems, Hamilton, New Zealand

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New Zealand’s fastest-growing and largest import port, Port of Tauranga sees its efficiency in terms of its systems and network as a key indication of success. Activities of the port include the provision of wharf facilities, storage and transit of cargoes, berthage, cranes, tug and pilotage services, leasing of land and buildings, container terminal operations, and rail links to its inland port, MetroPort, located in Auckland, New Zealand.

Operating under the changing international environment and maritime security regime, the port employs security technology that exceeds their obligations. For the Port of Tauranga, Cardax FT surpasses alternative systems for access control, intruder alarms, and central management and monitoring of site security. Using fibre optic cable through the massive site area, the Cardax FT system resides on the port’s Wide Area Network and requires every person to use a card to gain access.

“We have 40 companies and some key exporters operating within our boundary. The port manages the on-site security for those companies, and the system has some 4,000 cardholders,” explains Mike Letica, Manager, Port Security Services. Contractors are also managed within the system. Identification of individuals on site is key.

Mr Letica comments the Cardax FT Challenge feature was one that stood out when he was evaluating the system. Using Cardax FT Challenge, the port has achieved a significant cost saving by reducing the number of manned gates while still achieving the required verification of who is coming and going, as stipulated by New
Zealand’s maritime security authority – Maritime New Zealand. The port utilises access cards with printed PhotoID, which are checked by operators in the main  security offices against the live image provided by the camera. Coverage of the gates is 24 hours every day.

“The constant flow of trucks throughout the day is essential, with the public roads – arteries to the city – only metres away. The trucks dropping off containers can not be backed-up waiting,” says Mr Letica. The port has 30,000 vehicle movements occurring in any given month through the gates. He estimates it takes no more than three seconds from the time the driver badges their card, to the time the arm of the gate goes up.

Cards are another consideration for the port environment. With the Universal Card Format tool, the system can accommodate other card formats, a notable practicality for the site and the truck drivers passing through. Mr Letica envisages that one day truck drivers may need only carry one card to access ports nationwide; Cardax FT could achieve this.

On the recommendation of their security partner, Chubb New Zealand, existing third party readers have been replaced with Cardax 125 readers, as they have the ability to read multiple formats of cards, and are cost effective with Cardax FT Controllers providing additional capacity for future expansion. As the economic hub of the Bay of Plenty and Waikato regions, and achiever of world class productivity, Port of Tauranga continues to grow. Cardax FT is an investment that will facilitate the future expansion of the port and maintain that smooth flow of trade.

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