Nearly three-quarters of forwarders consider Portbase to be very important to the digital infrastructure of the Dutch ports. This was one of the results of a major market survey recently conducted among its members by FENEX, the industry body for forwarders and logistic service providers in the Netherlands. The results of the survey were published in the 2015 Business Survey (Stemmingsbarometer) and provide a good picture of current market expectations and developments in the forwarding sector.
According to 79 percent of firms with sea port activities, the Port Community System is explicitly contributing to an increase in cargo at the Dutch ports. In a previous survey in 2012, only 61 percent held that view. Of the Portbase services, Cargo Information 2.0 and Notification Export Documentation in particular were highly rated. The latter is the service most used by the forwarders, along with the service Notification Import Documentation. The services Discharge Information for the bulk sector, Declaration Food and Consumer Products and Notification Local Clearance are less popular. Over half of companies do not (yet) make use of these.
FENEX says the results of the 2015 Business Survey come as no surprise. Says FENEX policy adviser for sea port logistics, Robin van Leijen, ’With the increasing scale in liner shipping, the importance of efficient land-side handling has only increased. Portbase and the Port Community System have a crucial role to play in that. In recent years, FENEX and Portbase have worked together closely to develop new services, including Cargo Information 2.0. As a trade organisation for forwarders, we look forward to continuing this collaboration.’
