Gävle Hamn AB, the port authority for the Port of Gävle in Sweden, is to implement a new port activity app for testing with a small group of key partners, to provide shared access to information and improve the efficiency of vessel arrivals and departures.
“There can be ten different partners involved in a port call and today they all call each other via phone to get in touch,” said Linda Astner, Sustainability Manager at Gävle Hamn, and project leader for the Port Activity App.
“There are tugboats, navigators, port authority, people responsible for loading and unloading, container terminal administration, and so on.”
“There are often changes in a port´s operation due to time shifts, but also weather and wind has their effects. If everyone gets the right information about both planned and current times for arrivals, the dockings can be smoother and the time that the ships spend waiting with the engines on can be minimised.”
Gävle is already a participant in the Swedish Maritime Administration´s EU-financed EfficientFlow project, a successor to the STM (Sea Traffic Management) initiative. The new app builds on the work previously done by STM, adapting the ship-to-shore information sharing system for port-based activities.
“The test version is ready and the app, together with a website with the same information, will be launched during 2020. The source code is open, though it must be specialised to the conditions of each port to make it available for more users,” added Ms Astner.
