Smooth flow of shipping traffic thanks to lock automation at the port of Zeebrügge

• Zeebrügge is home to one of the most important ports in Europe. It ranks as the second-largest and most state-of-the-art maritime trading post in Belgium.
• More stringent safety requirements require reliable lock system signaling and diagnostics.
• Phoenix Contact has developed fieldbus-capable signal lights for integration in the lock system.
• The components, systems, and solutions from Phoenix Contact guarantee a safe passage through the Pierre van Damme lock and the smooth exchange of goods.

From the port of Zeebrügge, in addition to a wide range of other goods, cars from various manufacturers are shipped throughout the world.

Container ships transport 2.2 million cars a year around the globe, making the Belgian city the largest car hub in the world. Zeebrügge is also the most important European port for so-called ro-ro (roll-on, roll-off) traffic.

As a result of more stringent safety requirements, those responsible from the port of Zeebrügge were looking for reliable lock system signaling and diagnostics. The most important requirements were a redundant power supply, a redundant fieldbus system, as well as high availability and diagnostic capability.

The signal lights also needed to meet the conditions of IALA E200-1 and EN 12699 and be suitable for the harsh ambient conditions in the maritime environment.

Phoenix Contact has developed fieldbus-capable signal lights and, working together with a system integrator, has integrated them into the lock system. The signal lights from the CSD-SL product range, which are available in red, green, yellow, and white, meet the conditions of IALA E200-1 and EN 12699.

As well as their excellent range, the lights are characterized by a redundant power supply and a redundant fieldbus system. Two power supply units and two separate fieldbus modules guarantee high availability and diagnostic capability. The housing for the signal lights and the connection technology are designed for the harsh ambient conditions in the maritime environment.

PROFINET-based and redundant control technology

The Phoenix Contact controllers used in the lock system transmit the data from the signal lights to a higher-level control system via the PROFINET real time Ethernet protocol. Staff working in the control room can view information pertaining to the signal system such as the luminosity, current, voltage, and status of the LEDs as well as the light intensity affecting the lights.

As well as diagnosing the signal lights, each individual LED can be controlled. The controller from Phoenix Contact writes the diagnosed data directly to an SQL database, where it is safely archived. Countless other components and systems from Phoenix Contact, such as the tried-and-tested terminal blocks, relays, controllers, I/O modules, and signal converters, are used to automate the four lift bridges in the lock system and the associated safety technology.

The signal lights are controlled via a fiber optic connection using the PROFINET protocol. The control commands are sent to the PROFINET-capable ILC 171 ETH 2TX small-scale controller via switches. Each of the eight-meter-high masts, on which the signal lights are installed, feature two ILC 171 ETH 2TX controllers with the corresponding fieldbus master. If a communication line drops out, the other controller assumes its tasks immediately and reports the fault to the control room.