Port Information System to Aid Operations

The Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River and Bay and its sister organization, the New Orleans Board of Trade, signed an agreement in June to partner on the implementation of the Exchange’s Maritime On-Line (MOL) Ship Reporting program at Mississippi River ports. The Exchange, which upgraded its Maritime On-Line system last year, entered into a similar partnership with the Jacksonville (FL) Maritime Transportation Exchange in 2002. Ship Reporting, the Exchange’s vessel tracking module of Maritime On-Line, is used by trading partners to monitor anticipated and historical ship movements on the Delaware River. The Exchange collects vessel traffic data through a variety of means, which in turn is made available via the Internet and through published reports to the maritime community. MOL provides on-line tools to not only the business community but also local and national federal government agencies to enhance cargo operations and increase security awareness. Currently, the Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Office of Naval Intelligence rely on Maritime On-Line to aid in their Maritime Domain Awareness missions. “We are excited about working with the Maritime Exchange on this project,” said Board of Trade Executive Director Brett Bourgeois. “Our current ship reporting system is over 15 years old. When we made the decision to upgrade our database, we looked at a number of programs and found that Maritime On-Line best suited the needs of our port community.”