Alfapass, provider of the security smart card system at the Ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge in Belgium, is replacing the older biometric system at the ports’ registration stations with Lumidigm V-Series multispectral imaging fingerprint readers. The Port of Antwerp is Europe’s second largest port, while Zeebrugge is the central port for Europe’s automotive industry and has the largest liquefied natural gas terminal complex in Europe. Alfapass is now enrolling 17,000 truck drivers and 10,000 dockers at the two ports on the new system.
The port requires the unique identification of people in a more efficient manner, especially for those who travel between multiple port facilities. The answer: a single ID card that covers all facilities rather than an entrance card for each company at the port. Thus visitors to both Belgian ports carry a smart card from Alfapass which includes the visitor’s biometric template. When reading the card, each site has the option of also verifying the fingerprint stored on the card. By checking and verifying the fingerprint, a site can assure that the card is being presented by its rightful owner.
Piet Hadermann, Alfapass operations manager, says: “We have been using biometrics since 2005 but we needed a better solution to provide increased security that is easier for port visitors to use. Our former technology could not differentiate one person from another at the level of certainty and security we require. The false acceptance rate was much too high. Plus, some people, especially infrequent visitors, would forget how to use it from visit to visit. With the Lumidigm units, visitors intuitively put their fingers on the illuminated blue light, even when using self-service units.”
All port visitors are now being enrolled – from dockers to ship’s chaplains – with the Lumidigm fingerprint readers. The biometric readers are placed and used at port registration offices and administrative kiosks at the “gate in” for truck drivers and elsewhere an Alfapass card can be used. Alfapass enrolls user cards with two fingerprints, assuring that if there is a problem with the primary finger, the user can simply sign in with the alternate finger. The kiosk or access control device can also ask for the second finger. Using the Alfapass system, when a card is lost or stolen, or the person no longer works for the company, the card is automatically blocked at all participating facilities. No longer can the ex-employee or person who stole or found the card get into the ports. Only card holders that also pass the biometric check-in are able to enter. Alfapass is a Belgian company, created in 2004 as a result of ISPS (international ship and port security) regulations. Alfapass is responsible for the issue and management of a central identification card, granting access to the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge.
