Solutions · Marine and maritime
A port communicates over several networks: marine VHF, radios for the shore team, and telephony. We bring them together in a single control room.
We integrate marine VHF into professional radio networks and the Respondr dispatch platform: a port control room coordinates vessels, the shore team, and telephony from a single operator position. To ports and coastal operations we bring over twenty years of experience in mission-critical communications.
The three challenges of managing communications in a port.
What a port control room has to guarantee every day, across the vessels and the shore team.
Communication continuity
VHF communications with vessels and the shore team’s radio networks must stay operational during maneuvers and port operations. Without radio, coordination in the port comes to a halt.
Many networks, one control room
Vessels use marine VHF, the shore team uses professional radios, and the control room uses telephony. You need systems that let different networks coexist in a single operator console.
A lasting investment
The system has to last for years and be maintained without stopping operations. What counts is component quality, technical documentation, and support contracts with guaranteed response times.
How a port radio system is built.
Vessels communicate on marine VHF and the shore staff on the port radio network: both networks arrive at the same console in the control room.
- Shore coverage
- The part of the quay and the yard served by the radio network of the port’s staff.
- The three parts of the system
- Marine VHF toward the vessels, the coastal radio site with its technical room, and the shore radio network.
- Port control room
- The operator position where the radio networks and telephony arrive, with the communications recorded.
- Marine VHF link
- The dashed line is the radio link on the marine VHF band between the vessel and the coastal site.
What a port radio system includes.
The systems we build in a port, from VHF coverage out to sea through to supervision of the equipment.
Marine VHF coverage
- Marine VHF band transceivers installed in the technical room
- VHF antennas on a mast or lattice tower, with a clear line of sight over the port’s waters
- Filters, duplexers, and feeder cables sized for the band and the power in use
- Coverage study out to sea, with propagation models and link budget
- Communication tests with vessels at the distances set by the design
Shore staff radio network
- DMR Tier II and Tier III base stations, TETRA trunking, or analog VHF/UHF systems
- Antennas on the buildings and on the yard masts, with the azimuth and tilt set by the design
- Simulcast (same-frequency) sites where a single site does not cover the whole port area
- DAS systems for radio coverage in the warehouses and enclosed buildings
- Coverage tests on the quay, in the yard, and inside the warehouses
Port control room
- Respondr dispatch console carrying marine VHF, the staff radios, and telephony on the same operator position
- Gateways and audio interfaces to the radio equipment of the different networks
- Audio management between adjacent positions, with echo and feedback cancellation
- Recording of communications, searchable by date, time, channel, and radio ID
- Operator profiles and role-based access control, with traceability of operations
Radio terminals and on-board equipment
- Fixed and portable marine VHF sets for the port’s service craft
- Portable and vehicle terminals for the mooring crews and the yard crews
- Programming of channels, talkgroups, and user profiles
- Batteries, chargers, and audio accessories suited to outdoor work
Antennas and materials in a salt-air environment
- Antennas, brackets, and fixings in corrosion-resistant materials
- Sealed connectors and taping against moisture and salt ingress
- Cabinets and enclosures with an ingress protection rating suited to outdoor installation
- Surge arresters on the RF lines and bonding to the earthing system
- Checks on the fixings, the guy wires, and the condition of the exposed surfaces
Power supply and continuity
- Boards, protection devices, and lines dedicated to the radio equipment in the technical room
- Uninterruptible power supplies and buffer batteries sized for the required autonomy
- PoE power supply for the network devices and the monitoring systems
- Test of the installation running without mains power
Transport network and links
- Optical fiber backbones between the quay, the technical rooms, and the control room
- Point-to-point and point-to-multipoint microwave links where laying cable is not practical
- Network equipment, patch cabinets, and PoE power supplies
- Separation of the radio traffic from the rest of the port network, and security configuration of the equipment
Monitoring and support
- Supervision of the equipment with Track-TP: status, alarms, and notifications by email, WhatsApp, and Telegram
- TP-RFX for continuous monitoring of the radio carriers in service across the port area
- TP-CELLX for checking cellular coverage, where port services rely on the mobile network
- Maintenance contract with scheduled visits and call-out on fault
- A written report on every intervention, with the measurements taken and the state of the installation
What happens when a vessel calls the port.
A concrete case: a vessel’s arrival, from the call on marine VHF to the recording of communications.
The vessel calls on marine VHF
The incoming vessel contacts the control room on the marine VHF channel. It’s the channel vessels use to coordinate with the port, and the control room has to be able to monitor and use it just like every other radio network.
The control room answers from a single console
The operator works on the Respondr console, which brings marine VHF, the shore team’s professional radios, and telephony together in a single interface: one position to talk to the vessel and to every team.
The shore team coordinates the mooring
The operator calls the shore team on the port’s professional radio network to prepare the mooring. We design and build these radio networks in DMR, TETRA, or VHF/UHF technology, from design through maintenance.
Communications are kept on record
Respondr’s built-in recording system stores the port’s radio communications, with the date, time, and channel of every call: every communication stays documented and available to reconstruct events.
The systems we put in the field.
Each solution has its own in-depth page: here you’ll find only what it does for a port control room.
- Marine VHF
Marine equipment and marine VHF
Marine radio equipment and marine VHF systems, integrated into professional radio networks and the control room’s dispatch console.
- Control room
Radio rooms and dispatch
We build control rooms on the Respondr platform: marine VHF, professional radios, and telephony at a single operator position.
- Dispatch platform
Respondr
The platform that unifies analog, digital, and IP networks in a single interface, with marine VHF among the supported networks.
- Team radios
DMR and TETRA radio networks
Radio networks for the teams working in the port: DMR Tier II and Tier III systems, TETRA trunking, and VHF/UHF links, from design to maintenance.
- Traceability
Communication recording
Audio recording systems for radio communications: every call stays documented and available to reconstruct events.
- Radio terminals
Radio fleet supply
Supply, programming, and maintenance of the teams’ radio terminals: we are authorized resellers for Motorola Solutions, Hytera, and Kenwood, and the exclusive Funktronic distributor for Italy.
- Before the tender
Radio coverage study
Propagation models, link budgets, and system sizing: the technical documentation you need to design coverage and present the project in a public tender.
Learn more.
TechnicalMarine VHF radio: channels, frequencies, and coverage
The marine VHF band spans 156–162 MHz and is divided into internationally standardized channels: channel 16 for distress and calling, channel 70 for Digital Selective Calling (DSC), and dedicated channels for port operations and ship-to-ship communications. Coverage is line-of-sight and depends chiefly on antenna height, geography, and equipment quality — a fixed radio with a properly elevated antenna reaches 20–25 nautical miles in open water.
TechnicalVHF vs UHF: Technical Differences and Applications of Radio Frequencies
VHF or UHF for professional communications: propagation, building and vegetation penetration, antenna dimensions, spectrum availability, and the criteria for choosing the right band in maritime, rural, urban, and industrial environments.
Frequently asked questions.
The questions we are asked most often about this type of system.
Does anyone working both on board and on the quay have to carry two radios?
Usually yes, because marine VHF and the shore staff radio network work on different bands and follow different rules of use: shore network equipment is not licensed to transmit on the marine channels. Anyone moving between the vessel and the yard therefore carries two sets, or stays connected through the control room, where the operator takes the call on one network and relays it on the other from the same position. Without that relay, the crew on board and the crew on the quay cannot hear each other.
Can a new radio system be built without stopping port operations?
Yes, and that is the normal condition in a port working all year round. The existing system stays in service while the new one is installed: antennas, cables, and equipment go in alongside it, and the changeover from one system to the other happens in windows agreed with the port operator, usually at the quietest hours. Work on the quay is scheduled with the people running the maneuvers, because access to the operational areas depends on the berthings planned. During the changeover, the option of switching back to the previous system is kept open, so the port is never left without radio communications.
Does the port radio network also cover the warehouses and the covered areas?
Not automatically. The steel structures of the sheds, the canopies, and the reinforced concrete walls attenuate the signal, so a network sized for the yard can leave dead spots inside the buildings and on the underground levels. The check is done with coverage tests at the points where the crews actually work, with the portable terminal on the belt and not only in the open. Where the signal does not reach, coverage is extended with a DAS or with dedicated antennas connected to the same network, so the crews stay on the same talkgroup inside and outside the buildings.
Can the control room also be operated from a position outside the port?
Yes. The Respondr dispatch console runs both as a web application and as a program installed on the computer, so an operator position can be set up in another office or at a backup site, as long as it is reachable over the customer’s data network. Access is governed by role-based profiles, so you decide who can listen, who can talk, and who can only view, and every action stays recorded together with the operator who performed it. How many positions are needed and where to place them is decided with the customer, based on who has to be able to work when the main room is unusable.
Our systems integrate with the equipment you already have.
No closed systems: we use open protocols, let different technologies coexist on the same equipment, and work with the certifications that public tenders require.
Marine VHF and professional networks in a single console
From the same console, Respondr manages marine VHF and the shore team’s TETRA, DMR, and VHF/UHF radio networks, together with telephony.
Integration with control-room systems
The monitoring systems interface with the operator’s supervision platforms via SNMP, relay contacts, and APIs: alarms reach you where you already work.
Certifications and qualifications
Teleproject is a company certified to ISO 9001:2015 and qualified under SOA OS 19. The Respondr and Track-TP platforms are designed in compliance with the NIS2 directive and the ISA/IEC 62443-3-3 standard.
Request a proposal for your port control room.
Feasibility analysis, marine VHF integration, and project planning, tailored to your requirements.