The world’s first digitally controlled port arrival has been achieved at the Port of Tanger Med on 25 June with the 4,612TEU container ship, Kobe Express, owned by Hapag-Lloyd and managed by Ango-Eastern Ship Management, docking safely and on time at the Moroccan port, using the Wärtsilä Navi-Port system.
Wärtsilä’s system is a digital platform that facilitates the exchange of real-time data between ships and their destination ports to allow accurate arrival times. The system exchanges required time of arrival digitally with the onboard navigation system and allows a ship’s speed schedule to be adjusted for a Just-in-Time (JiT) arrival by the clicking of one button, thereby saving fuel and costly waiting time at anchor.
“As the economic and environmental benefits of JiT operations are becoming increasingly clear to the maritime community, so Wärtsilä will continue to invest in developing our innovative solutions which also help to support the IMO’s decarbonisation and GHG reduction strategies,” stated Bruce Mills, Business Development Manager for Ship Traffic Control at Wärtsilä Voyage.
The Bermuda-flagged Panamax vessel docked at Tanger Med on the Strait of Gibraltar, having sailed in from the Port of Cartagena in Colombia.
“We have moved beyond pilot and testing projects to real-life applications, and we see this as kick-starting a trend that will make both shipping and port operations more efficient and less carbon intensive,” commented Dmitry Rostopshin, General Manager for Ship Traffic Control at Wärtsilä Voyage.
Wärtsilä Voyage and Tanger Med Port, the largest Mediterranean and African container port, are jointly developing a Port Management Information System (PMIS) with PortLink and featuring Wärtsilä’s Navi-Port system. A key aim of the PMIS is to facilitate JiT ship arrivals and enhance the port’s ship traffic control protocols, according to an announcement.
Bjorn Hojgaard, CEO of Anglo-Eastern, said its company has partnered with Wärtsilä to digitalise the operations of its managed fleet, which counts more than 600 ships. “We anticipate that the Wärtsilä technology will speed the execution and planning of voyages and allow us to better monitor fuel efficiency and engine performance for optimal operations,” he noted.
“We are entering an era of high efficiency and better environmental performance, which will benefit all industry stakeholders,” pointed out Ralf Belusa, Managing Director Digital Business at Hapag-Lloyd.
