Port Processes News

In Rotterdam, ships from around the world cruise in and out of Europe's busiest port, a bustling industrial hub that employs almost 200,000 people and produces 20 percent of the Netherlands' climate-changing gases.As Rotterdam tries to cut its emissions - in line with global goals to curb global warming - shipping emissions are a particular challenge, not least because many fall outside the targets set by the Paris Agreement to curb climate change.But the city's bustling port…

Indian Ports Association (IPA) has appointed Tech Mahindra as the Managed Service Provider for five major ports. This is the first such outsourcing deal in the major ports.Tech Mahindra will build and maintain an enterprise business system (EBS) to modernise and automate port processes at five Central government-owned port  at Mumbai ,Kolkata, Chennai, Deendayal Port  and Paradip Port Trust.This initiative is a major step towards integrating the maritime sector and fostering growth and development of major public sector ports in the country.Tech Mahindra is partnering with world class leading players like SAP, Envision, CISCO, Dell, RTCom and other major players.

The Port of Barcelona reports it has become the first port in Spain to complete and make available a procedure for its customers and users in line with the container weighing new rules adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and incorporated into Chapter VI of the Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS) Convention specifying that shippers (forwarders, logistics operators or owners of the goods) shall be responsible for weighing each full container before shipment. The obligation…

The new rules, adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and incorporated into Chapter VI of the Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS) Convention, specify that the shipper (forwarder, logistics operator or owner of the goods) shall be responsible for weighing the full container before shipment. The Port of Barcelona is the first port in Spain to complete and make available such a procedure to its customers and users in line with the new rules, and its Port Community is preparing to adapt to the new requirements. The obligation to declare container weight before shipment is designed to improve the safety of seafarers and of everyone involved in the logistics chain.

Port of Antwerp has launched breakbulk application for more efficient freight handling. Antwerp has long been the breakbulk port par excellence in Europe. This status finds expression each day anew in a flexible range of high-quality services tailored to the requirements of the customer. Already several years ago the sector pointed out the need to automate the breakbulk process in order to provide customers with even better service. The Antwerp Port Community System (APCS) has now met this requirement with a new breakbulk application that will make today’s copying and re-copying of data a thing of the past. The result is more transparent, faster communication concerning cargoes, enabling them to be handled even more efficiently. How does it work?

Batangas Container Terminal (BCT) set a new record in 2014 for containers handled, says its operator Asian Terminals, Inc. (ATI). Port handled over 98,000 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) in 2014, its highest total ever. The port operator added that BCT ended 2014 with consolidated throughput of 1.02 million TEUs, up 8.6%. BCT has continuously expanded its role as a comprehensive gateway for Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), providing shippers direct connectivity to Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia and other global hubs through vessels regularly calling the port weekly. Building on the momentum…

ICO and AET, the two ro/ro terminals in the port of Antwerp, are now also connected to the e-Desk. The Antwerp Port Community System (APCS) introduced the e-Desk for containers already in 2012, and this year the successful collaboration has been extended to rolling stock. The port of Zeebrugge (ICO and WWL) started the e-Desk for ro/ro in February, and now the Antwerp terminals are following suit. All exports of new and second-hand vehicles and exports or transit of containers can now be declared electronically, so that paper declarations and accompanying documents are no longer necessary. Each player who has four obligatory data items that form part of the export declaration can enter these parameters in the e-Desk.

Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ABPC) says that general cargo moving through Abu Dhabi’s commercial Ports has increased by 37% this year. ADPC’s commercial ports (Musaffah, Khalifa and Zayed Ports) have handled 6.4 million FT (freight tonnes) of general cargo, compared to 4.7 million FT in the first half of 2014, which is an increase of 1.74 million FT (freight tonnes) compared with the same period in 2013. “These figures show a strong first half of 2014 and indicate a promising six months ahead”, said Capt. Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO, ADPC. He adds: “The volume of cargo moving through our ports is on the up. While Abu Dhabi’s ongoing economic growth explains some of the increased volumes…

Two years after its official launch, the European Port Community Systems Association (ECPSA) will host a conference focusing on the simplification of port processes and trade facilitation. What are the key strands of European Union policy relating to port processes? How are they viewed from the differing perspectives of the European Commission and the shipping and ports community? And what is needed next to drive forward trade facilitation within and beyond Europe? These thorny topics will be tackled in presentations by a series of speakers and in panel discussions at the conference…

EPCSA recognizes the importance of simplification of port processes, and Port Community Systems (PCS) provide a user driven port community solution. However, so that the impact on trade is limited any changes to requirements in these processes should be kept to a minimum and should reuse any existing infrastructure that already exists. Port Community Systems provide a means by which Member States can simplify the implementation of Directive 2010/65 by acting as a clearing centre for required information. It also provides the opportunity in Member States where PCS do not currently exist for a Port Authority or relevant competent authority to implement a Port Community System on a national or local basis.