Hutchison Ports-owned Port of Felixstowe has become the largest port in the United Kingdom (UK) to deploy 5G technology and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Along with consortium members, Three UK, Blue Mesh Solutions and the University of Cambridge, the port was successful in an application for grant funding under the 5G testbeds and trials programme (5GTT) run by the department for digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS).
The project that aims to prove 5G’s capabilities in a busy port environment seeks to deliver predictive maintenance of quay cranes using Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and to provide communications for remote control yard cranes.
As part of the 5G project, six quay cranes are being fitted with IoT sensors to understand the stresses and strains placed on them by day-to-day operation, according to Karen Poulter, head of information services, Port of Felixstowe and 5G Project Lead.
“Using 5G to transmit the data enables these systems to operate in real-time, which could enable ‘in the moment’ safety-critical applications,” he noted.
In addition, Cambridge University is developing an algorithm to predict equipment failure and suggest the optimum time to maintain the equipment, by using the data generated by the IoT sensors and linking it to the actual activity on the crane together with previous maintenance records.
“We will harness the speed, low-latency and high-capacity of 5G to send the high volumes of data generated by the IoT sensors for an Artificial Intelligence-based predictive maintenance system, which will be able to detect anomalies in the cranes and alert the operators so that preventive maintenance can be targeted at these areas before the failure actually happens,” said Prof Ajith Parlikad, professor of asset management at the University of Cambridge.
The algorithm is projected to maximise the number of times cranes are in use and reduce the cost associated with emergency repairs and day-to-day maintenance. In addition, the 5G network can handle the volume of data collected, which will be used to train the algorithm at levels that wouldn’t be sustainable over 4G.
UK’s digital infrastructure minister Julia Lopez commented, “It’s incredible to see our £200 million (US$267 million) investment in innovative 5G tech is empowering Britain’s biggest and busiest container port to explore new ways of driving efficiency, improving safety and supporting the UK’s post-Brexit status as a global trading nation.”
The project is due to complete in September 2022, while significant work has already been undertaken at the Three lab to test the 5G network against use cases, according to a statement.
