Container shipping company Ocean Network Xpress (ONE) has committed to implementing the PortXchange digital platform for calls at the Port of Rotterdam, having completed a two-month trial of the tool last year.
PortXchange, developed by the Port of Rotterdam Authority, is used by shipping companies to monitor and analyse information on container ships arriving and departing from sea ports. With ONE carrying out some 350 calls per year to Rotterdam, approximately one vessel per day, it aims to use the tool to manage just-in-time arrivals and minimise time spent in port.
“We were impressed by the broad application and the large amount of information that this tool offers as it could provide us with more transparency than we had in the past,” said Keith Bamber, Port Operations Manager at ONE.
“That is why we decided to conduct a trial. The better we can manage our vessels in the Port of Rotterdam, the more accurate our planning and the more reliable our sailing schedules.”
“It is difficult to manage this efficiently, but thanks to our good contacts with ECT in Rotterdam, this already went very smoothly during the week. Across the weekend, we often had insufficient information to enable us to respond adequately to changes in the schedule. Now we automatically receive a message about changes via PortXchange.”
For weekend arrivals, ONE operators can contact the terminal directly to verify the information they have and make any necessary adjustments. If a vessel is already en route to Rotterdam then the captain can be notified to adjust speed.
During the trial, the Port of Rotterdam Authority also modified the PortXchange user interface to meet ONE’s specific requirements, adding a timeline with the real-time sailing speed, as well as the required sailing speed for timely mooring at the terminal.
“What we would also like to see in PortXchange is information about the tides. When loaded, our vessels from Asia have a draft of up to 16 metres. Even in very deep ports like Rotterdam, we remain dependent on the water levels. Information about this in PortXchange would be a useful addition,” added Mr Bamber.
ONE plans to extend its use of PortXchange beyond the Port of Rotterdam following the pilot, looking at other major European ports including London Gateway and the southern Spanish port of Algeciras.
