Dimension Data to provide network infrastructure for $550m Aussie port

Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) has chosen Dimension Data to provide the end-to-end network infrastructure for the $550 million terminal at Port of Melbourne's Webb Dock East.

Expected to begin operating in fourth quarter 2016, VICT will not only be located at Webb Dock East, which sits at the mouth of the Yarra River within the largest commercial port in Australia, but will also be one of the most automated and advanced container terminals in the world.

VICT is expected to handle more than one million twenty foot equivalent unit containers annually (TEU), which will be moved from container ships to delivery trucks, and vice versa, via integration of both existing and new automated technologies.

Critical to the project's success will be the underlying network infrastructure, which will be provided by Dimension Data.

Wi-Fi connectivity across the 35.4 hectare site will be particularly crucial as VICT's automated container carriers rely on being constantly connected in order to safely transport cargo from waiting vessels, and to sort and stack shipping containers before finally loading delivery trucks.

Dimension Data will deliver the technical infrastructure up to the application level, including physical connectivity from the data center to the site itself, fibre cabling within the site, a customs-grade CCTV network, and more than 60 Cisco Wireless Access Points.

This is in addition to implementing the on-site data center and providing IaaS for test and development from Dimension Data's Melbourne Managed Cloud Platform.

Rodd Cunico, Dimension Data Australia CEO, says, "VICT is a perfect example of how technology is completely redefining the way we look at business.

"From the second a shipping container leaves the deck of a container vessel, the process becomes fully automated through mission critical information systems and the supporting technical infrastructure. None of this could be made possible without the right expertise.

Anders Dommestrup, VICT CEO, says Dimension Data was ultimately selected because a tight construction schedule meant that VICT needed a partner with the experience and expertise to deliver on time and on target.

"Ultimately, the technical infrastructure will be supporting all of VICT's mission critical information systems and we trust Dimension Data to deliver our distinct requirements and draw on the unique expertise of its global counterparts," he says.