In future, shipping traffic in the port of Rotterdam will be recorded using a digital nautical chart with terminal and berth information. It is the first service of its kind in the world.
A nautical chart generated in real time will further optimize port calls in Rotterdam in the future. This is made possible by a collaboration between the Port of Rotterdam Authority and the Hydrographic Service of the Royal Netherlands Navy, which processes up-to-date information on terminals and berths. Location data is thus determined much more accurately and made available to all parties involved in the maritime chain. “Various port users will benefit from this, both in the contractual and operational phases,” it says in a statement.
Previously, the location data was based on the names of terminals and berths. When ownership changed, the respective names often changed as well, which could lead to confusion. For this reason, port infrastructures are now assigned unique Global Location Numbers (GLNs) worldwide. These GLNs are already used in the logistics sector and have now been integrated into the Harbour Master Management Information System (HaMIS) and the Port Community System (PCS) Portbase – the core systems of the port of Rotterdam. Because the harbor master uses this data daily in his reports, it is extremely reliable. Updates are made twice a day, in which changes to the data records are transmitted.
Information from the Hydrographic Service
Masters of seagoing vessels need detailed information to plan their voyages and navigate safely in accordance with IMO Resolution A.893(21). This data is available in their modern navigation system ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System). ECDIS uses official Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs). The Hydrographic Service publishes these ENCs and other nautical products. Each country has its own Hydrographic Service, which is the only one authorized to publish ENCs. The port authorities are not authorized to do so. To ensure safe shipping traffic, terminals and berths must be accurately listed in the ENCs. The hydrographic services collect this data from the ports in their country. If the accuracy of this data cannot be guaranteed, it is usually not included in ENCs. It is therefore crucial that the location data is exchanged correctly and in a standardized form by the port authorities and hydrographic services. The Port of Rotterdam Authority was the first port company in the world to implement this.
“Single point of truth” instead of time-consuming collection
Shippers need precise location data in order to comply with the safe harbor and berth clauses. The ships using this data must correspond to the berth, and collecting location data from different databases is time-consuming. Now there is a “single point of truth”: a single platform with validated location data. Via an application programming interface (API), shippers can connect their systems to Portbase and have immediate access to the correct data. Thanks to the near real-time updates, ships and berths can be assigned automatically.
In addition to captains and charterers, nautical service providers such as pilots and rowers also benefit from standardization. Pilots use the same data on the nautical chart as captains. The standardization of location data means that there is no longer any room for different interpretations.
The rowers can use the exact position data to determine the configuration of the mooring lines in advance.
In addition to the location data, the Port of Rotterdam Authority also wants to map the water depths and restrictions of the terminals and berths in a standardized way. “With these three data sets, it will be possible to assess in 99% of cases whether a ship is suitable for a berth in the port of Rotterdam,” promises the Port Authority. It invites other port companies to share their location data with their national hydrographic services in the same standardized way. “The solution is easily scalable and can be used worldwide,” it says.
