Boat Electrics & Electronics Ltd. (BEE Ltd.), an Eneo customer, provides support services, including electronic systems services for radar, GPS, systems for navigation, satellite, chart computers, echo sounders, radio systems and CCTV surveillance for both security and health and safety purposes, to one of the UK’s leading off-shore, energy servicing companies, North Sea Logistics (NSL) Ltd.
Off-shore, windfarm-generated, energy production has seen massive growth around UK waters in recent years and windfarm numbers are increasing with as many as 100 turbines per farm, spread up to ten miles out to sea. Engineers require access to the turbines all year round. The result is that each farm can have two or three Windfarm Service boats in continuous use at any time.
“IP surveillance cameras monitor the engine room, which is a class requirement for boats with un-manned engine rooms,” explained Matt Davy of BEE Ltd. “They also monitor fore and aft decks, port, starboard and saloon passenger areas, totaling ten cameras in all. The prime purpose of the CCTV system is to ensure health and safety, as well as give the captain visibility of all parts of the boat from the bridge, in real time. It also provides security for when the boat is docked in port.”
An Eneo PNR-5316 network recorder, with 6 Tb hard drive and IRAS management software, provides live camera viewing on the catamaran’s existing display systems, meaning no additional, specific monitors are needed. The PNR records each camera’s 2MP video stream in full HD, real-time, for over 31 days. Playback of recorded images is provided on the same displays. Matt Davy added, “The catamarans are built with Panasonic cameras fitted, so the Eneo recorder had to integrate with these using the ONVIF universal protocol. This integration was seamless and has proven to be extremely reliable and effective.”
“The recorder was easy to install on each ship’s bridge, thanks to the integrated PoE switches and the DHCP server. Apart from technical reliability, compact size is paramount when installing a CCTV system aboard boats, due to limited space. At only 62 x 300 x 232 mm, it is amongst the smallest available, so the ideal choice for marine applications like this.”
The catamarans are worth between £2 and £3M each and are designated high-speed, light craft. They are ideal for this work due to their stability and maneuverability. They carry up to 12 passengers, three crew and a significant amount of equipment. As well as Windfarm Service Level 1 categorisation, they meet stringent, DNV-GL, maritime safety compliance standards.
