Guernsey receives upgraded communication system

Communications systems are often the central command-and-control point for mission-critical operations that must perform without fail, day and night, 365 days a year. So it means a great deal when a system actually delivers the reliability these conditions require.

Guernsey Harbours had come to rely on their existing Zetron console system, but the time came to update their equipment and they decided to obtain and install a new system from Zetron.

“Our original Zetron system helped us cope well with our workload,” said the harbour master, Captain Peter Gill, “but technology moves on, and we were aware that a current-generation system would enable us to work smarter and more efficiently. After 12 years with our previous Zetron system, we had no doubts about which vendor and solution we wanted.”

That solution would include three positions of Zetron’s DCS-5020 Digital Console System installed at two locations.

One of the Channel Islands, Guernsey is located just off the coast of Normandy, 113 kilometres from England and 48 kilometres from France. The island is 62 square kilometres and has a population of about 62,000.

Guernsey Harbours’ staff works with the coast guard to manage marine traffic in the approaches to the harbour, as well as its ports at St Peter Port and St Sampson’s Harbour. Up to 2000 pleasure craft per day move through the area. And each year, commercial shipping moves some 500,000 passengers and many thousands of tons of freight through the area as well.

In addition to managing marine traffic, Guernsey Harbours also controls remote harbour closing lights and fog horns that warn shipping of hazards around the coastline. If a marine emergency occurs, Guernsey Harbours is responsible for coordinating search-and-rescue efforts by sea and air.

“Guernsey is a challenging marine environment,” said Captain Gill. “It has been the scene of a number of shipping tragedies over the years. Not only do we manage thousands of regular to-and-fro shipping movements, but we lie adjacent to the busiest shipping lane in the world, and we are also a major destination for cruise liners.”

Designed for small to medium-sized communication control rooms, the DCS-5020 is able to integrate telephony with digital and analog radio. It supports combinations of up to 30 resources, including up to 16 screen-based operator consoles. The system’s distributed processing provides the flexibility, scalability, robustness and resiliency that 24/7 operations like those at Guernsey Harbours require.

Zetron partner Radio and Electronic Services performed the system implementation at Guernsey. The company implemented the system in a phased ‘swap-over’ from the old equipment to the new system during the winter of 2010 and 2011. This included installing two DCS-5020 consoles in the St Peter Port office. A third console was also installed in the pier head control room and linked by fibre optics.

The installation required Radio and Electronic Services to integrate the new system with legacy equipment, including Guernsey Harbours’ Icom marine VHF and UHF radio, a public phone network, private phone circuits and an existing Zetron telemetry system Guernsey uses to control and monitor remote operations. The installation also involved customising the screen displays to suit each operator’s individual preferences. This was done through the DCS-5020’s programmable user interface.

The implementation was completed and the new system was commissioned in early 2011.

“With the new system, Radio and Electronic Services was able to consolidate more information than ever before onto our touch screens,” Captain Gill said. “This gives our staff fingertip control over all of our radio, telephony and remote systems from one place. Our remote harbour lights and fog horns are also controllable in the same way. And if the operators need to move away from their consoles to another area, they can use the touch screens to turn on remote monitoring. Live radio and telephone audio is then relayed to them over loudspeakers.

“The new Zetron system has enabled us to implement many of the lessons we have learned about how to operate most effectively,” he continued. “The acid test of the system was its performance during Guernsey’s busy summer season. It showed us that as far as the DCS-5020 system is concerned, we got it right. It has certainly enhanced our ability to provide attentive and efficient 24/7 service.”