vps Equips Port of Felixstowe with State-of-the-Art Biometric ID Card

Port of Felixstowe, part of Hutchison Port Holdings, is introducing haulier identity cards to enhance security at its terminals. The new initiative, known as RHIDES (Road Haulier Identity System) is expected to be fully operational by November 2006, after which the cards will be mandatory to access the port. The system, managed by vps next-generation identity management software, will tighten access controls at the facility and provide a significant deterrent to container theft, as the unique ID cards make each driver directly accountable for his/her container/s. The contactless card used for this project stores the biometric handscan of the driver, which is verified at the gates. The system is the first of its type in the UK and is based on vps web-based, open architecture identity and card management system, icms. Recognized truck companies can request cards for their drivers online. Icms automatically alerts drivers via email when their cards are ready and provides a PIN code for secure identification when picking up the card. Drivers collect their RHIDES cards at the port¹s Pass Office after having their ID checked and their biometric hand data collected. icms serves as the information hub for all applications related with the card. Thanks to icms web-based design, haulage companies can conveniently and securely access their card management system online via the RHIDES website www.rhides.com. Here they can see a list of their drivers issued with ID cards, add and remove drivers who join or leave the company, and block lost cards. vps system also conducts statistical analyses of entry/exit data to detect possible fraudulent use of a card or the existence of forged or cloned credentials. If the time elapsed between two events does not fall within its reference range, for example, an alarm is given. Hutchison Port Holdings UK (HPUK), which also operates the UK ports of Harwich and Thamesport, has been in contact with other ports to gauge their interest in introducing a UK-wide haulier identity card.