PSA Breakbulk in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges says it has become the first shipping terminal in Belgium to control visitors’ access to its facilities through biometric facial recognition. PSA Breakbulk installed this new technology, provided by the Ghent based startup NineID to increase security at its facilities and thereby abide by the new stricter ISPS security regulations that recently came into force.

NineID received recognition for its Biometric Access Control Solution from the Minister of Justice and the North Sea. With this, NineID is among the first companies in Belgium to comply with the innovative maritime security law that has been in effect since January 1.

If an external party is invited by PSA Breakbulk to access the Project Cargo Ecosystem section of PSA Breakbulk’s terminal, they must first pre-register by scanning their ID and taking a selfie. If the two match, their pre-registration is approved and a QR code is automatically generated. Once this person arrives at the terminal, the visitor must scan the QR code and undergo a facial scan. If everything matches, they receive access to the terminal.

PSA Breakbulk is one of the largest steel and general cargo handlers in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. This new technology provides increased control over who enters its facilities, and more specifically, its Project Cargo Ecosystem on the south side of the Churchill dock.

“With the introduction of biometric facial authentication, we are increasing surveillance and access control at our terminal,” explains Dennis Verbeeck, general manager of PSA Belgium’s Non-Container Division. “With this new technology, we now exceed the increasingly stringent ISPS regulations. NineID’s facial verification biometric access control system offers an unprecedented level of precision and security, which is vital for the protection of our maritime operations.”

“We highly value Safety & Security within our PSA Group,” explains Yves Stevens, Regional Director HSS EuroMed & Americas. “We therefore regularly invest in new state-of-the-art technologies. We will continue to evaluate the hands-on experience that we are now gaining at PSA Breakbulk to see if we can implement it in our other business units within EuroMed and the Americas.” NineID – PSA Testimonial – YouTube