Wärtsilä Voyage has announced the acquisition of PortLink Global, a port systems technology company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.
Founded in 2007 and with about 3,500 current active users, PortLink is a provider of port efficiency systems, including Port Management Information Systems (PMIS), Port Community Systems (PCS), Pilotage Dispatch systems and Local Port Services (LPS).
The two companies have previously collaborated on projects including the co-development of a Port Management Information System (PMIS) for the largest Mediterranean and African port, Tanger Med, the Callao Port Authority (Peru) modernisation project, and the delivery of Brazil’s first Smart Port System at Porto do Acu.
“Bringing PortLink into Wärtsilä Voyage isn’t just about expanding our portfolio, but further strengthening our expertise in the smart port sector by bringing in highly experienced people into our team,” said Sean Fernback, President, Wärtsilä Voyage and Executive Vice President, Wärtsilä.
“Their domain expertise and portfolio perfectly complement Wärtsilä Voyage’s smart ports vision — a critical piece in our larger ambition of building an end-to-end connected ship-to-shore logistic management and voyage optimisation ecosystem.”
The transaction was signed and closed in June 2022, as part of a move by Wärtsilä to beef up its Smart Port Ecosystem strategy.
PortLink’s PMIS and PCS solutions can work alongside Wärtsilä Voyage’s Navi-Port, Vessel Traffic Management Information Systems (VTMIS), and on-vessel voyage optimisation technology such as Navi-Planner and Fleet Optimisation Solution (FOS) to help connect stakeholders across the logistics chain.
The goal is to enable better ship-to-shore coordination, optimising routes and vessel speed based on real-time weather and port readiness information.
“The ambition is to implement a port community system that goes beyond internal stakeholders within the port, and even includes the broader community,” said Bruce Mills, Business Development Manager, Ship Traffic Control at Wärtsilä Voyage.
“The access levels to information will differ based on roles and requirements but having all stakeholders on the same secured platform is absolutely essential to orchestrate global operations.”
