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Issue 3 2019 - FBJNA


///DIGITALIZATION OF PORTS


Terminal Burchardkai, Port of Hamburg (Port of Hamburg photo)


Seaports consider digitalization By Karen E. Thuermer


Many disruptive factors are at play at seaports, most notably chassis shortages and bottlenecks in truck turns. Carriers and their shipper customers insist on faster, smoother and more efficient service, particularly with


the


larger ships arriving at many seaports, thereby accelerating congestion. While ocean carrier


executives aren’t keen on digitalization at seaports – claiming it does little to address congestion issues outside port grounds, port authorities worldwide are increasingly introducing digitalization to stay competitive. Such portals, they say, help lower transaction costs and search times during the cargo booking process, optimize port operations of all nautical service providers, increases the reliability of bookings and offers status updates on cargo and vessel movements. Those critical of digitalization


say such solutions, however, are


expensive and time


consuming to implement, and require trained personnel to operate. There’s also potential fallout from labor unions who see digitalization as a threat to longshoreman jobs. The benefits, however, are many: operational safety, better operational control and consistency of container handling on terminal, lower overall terminal operational costs, and increased operational productivity. Most of all, the transparency such portals offer eliminates anecdotal finger


pointing. Consequently, new technologies, players, alliances and business models are picking up speed.


West Coast Efforts


The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are collaborating with GE Transportation to increase visibility, enhance real-time decision-making and optimize cargo movements through terminals in the San Pedro Bay. The collaboration is helping to increase transparency of incoming cargo from two days to two weeks. Gene Seroka, executive


director of the Port of Los Angeles (POLA), says this year will be the year POLA continues its focus on digital transformation. At the heart of its efforts is Port Optimizer, a marine terminal platform developed with GE Transportation (GET) to develop prototype solution that addresses information- sharing needs identified through countless


hours of


public engagement, stakeholder feedback and user discovery. According to Phillip Sanfield,


port spokesman, the effort has not been easy. But the $13 million portal


is now live and available for stakeholders


to register and


start using. Seroka sees Port Optimizer as representing how POLA is an active member of the supply chain and seeks to create value through partnerships. “As a result, cargo owners, shipping lines, terminal


operators, trucking companies, railroads and other businesses receive a two-week head start to plan operations and allocate resources, all thanks to data sharing,” he wrote. “And, because the providers of data define the uses and ownership of their data, concerns about data misuse are


Your data remains your data.” Port Optimizer is expected


to track 90-95% of POLB containerized cargo. “Even today, as we expand


features and functionality, we continue to develop the portal as informed by the experience of these participants,” he said. The goal over the coming


year is to position POLB to adopt new technologies to improve the reliability, predictability and efficiency of cargo flow through San Pedro Bay. “We intend to leverage the industrial Internet of Things, big data and other emerging technologies,” Seroka said during the POLB State of the Port Speech on January 24. “If we can responsibility harness their potential, these advanced solutions will reposition our port as a trusted partner in the digital space, just as we are in physical operations. “ POLB is working with


chainPORT and the International Port Community Systems Association, World Economic Forum and ocean carriers


to


information portal in 2016 with the goal of consolidating all available data, including filtered information from Customs and Border Protection’s Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) system in one place to better improve the flow of freight in and out of terminals.


unfounded.


live turn times on its website,” Zampa says.


measured, however,


“What’s not are any


lines that form outside the gates where trucks wait to get in. We need to upgrade that as well to get measurements outside the terminal gates.” The portal, which is being


“Successes from cooperation


between companies and institutions are abundantly apparent and can form the basis for a joint


international success story.” -- Ingo Egloff, Port of Hamburg. Further north, the Port of


Oakland is live with its portal to speed up global trade flows. In January it upgraded the portal to include truck turn times, which is considered its first major upgrade. With the support of the new service, truckers will now have access to updated turn times for each of Oakland’s four terminals, as well as the various waiting periods outside terminal gates. “That tells you how long on


explore


new technologies and their associated policy challenges to evolve with the rapidly changing maritime shipping industry. POLA and GET


began developing the port’s


average it takes a truck driver once in the gate to complete his transactions and get out,” explains Mike Zampa, port spokesman. “These are updated every 30 minutes. This is something our customers have told us they want. By providing current and shippers


historic turn times,


have comparable data to know if the port


is doing better or


worse and just how long it took for a trucker to pick up an actual shipment. “We are the first port to post


rolled out in phases, also offers vessel schedules and the ability to conduct transactions –if a subscriber to the portal. This includes paying freight-handling fees or making appointments to pick up containerized cargo and tracking shipments. “This is the next big thing


in global trade,” said Oakland Senior Project Administrator Eric Napralla. “It’s a common platform – one place where everyone can go to more easily view and direct their shipments.” Port of Oakland officials have


been working with Advent Intermodal Solutions LLC to create the portal. The firm’s eModal port community system is already used by every marine terminal operator in Oakland, which made it easier to roll out the common platform. In October the Northwest Alliance (NWSA) put


Seaport


into operation two first-of-their- kind straddle carrier portals to streamline how cargo is scanned for radiation. “This shaves 18 to 24 hours off our previous process,” reveals Katie Whittier, NWSA spokesperson. Rather than offloading


containers and stacking them single-level to scan before loading them onto a train, containers now pass through the scanning portal on the way to the train, eliminating the need to handle them twice. The portals were developed


over a decade in conjunction with the US Department of Homeland Security (both US Customs and Border Protection and the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office), the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest and Savannah River National Laboratories and APL shipping. “Other ports are likely to


be interested in using the technology,” Whittier states. In other efforts, last year


NWSA put a lot of effort into preparing the trucking community for radio frequency identification (RFID) tag implementation across its international terminals. “By using RFID technologies


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