Since 2017, the Port of Rotterdam Authority, Port of Amsterdam and Portbase
have been working in close cooperation with the market to simplify the process of notifying the Harbour master. Below, you will find an overview of recently-taken steps for improving the notification process, as well as subsequent planned initiatives.
Mobile app
Since late March, agents have been able to use their smartphone or tablet to update a trip previously notified via Vessel Notification and then submit the changes to the Harbour master directly. The mobile app is particularly well-suited for quickly passing on changes to the ETA, pilot station, details of the incoming trip, repeat journey and berth, order in the rotation and following port. For creating new visits or making more complex adjustments, however, the desktop version of Vessel Notification remains the tool of choice. A user’s manual for the mobile app can be found on the Port Community System (PCS) start page under ‘Instruction booklets’.
System Interface
As of 1 February 2018, it is possible for agents to submit the initial notification for a vessel using a system interface with the PCS. This allows you to send all the necessary information from your own system to Vessel Notification in the PCS with the single press of a button. It makes redundant data entry a thing of the past.
Vopak acted as the pilot user for this system interface and is satisfied regarding its use. If you are interested in realising a system interface of your own, please sign up by emailing your request to sales@portbase.com. You will then receive the necessary technical documentation. Portbase will also provide you with technical and functional support while the interface is being built.
Once a reasonable number of agents have been connected to the first portion of the system interface, work on the second portion will commence: sending updates from their own systems to the PCS.
Quick wins
Earlier in 2017, twenty quick wins were implemented, each of which makes notification just a little bit easier. Recently, a feature that automatically moves up ETAs and ETDs was added as well. Now, when you edit an ETA or ETD, all subsequent times move up automatically. This also applies to the ‘ETA Next Port’.
Pronto ETAs
For vessel visits to the Port of Rotterdam, it is now possible to import ETAs from the Pronto system via the PCS. These ETAs are based on up-to-date AIS information, the speed of the vessel and its predicted route, making them as accurate as possible.
Upcoming actions: Waste Disposal Notification and Dangerous Goods Notification
Harbour masters are required to comply with new regulations taking effect in 2018. These involve the notification of both waste and dangerous goods. We will be addressing the implementation of the new rules regarding waste simultaneously while working to simplify the waste disposal notification process, which figured prominently on the ‘wish list’ of the client panel.
Client panel and working group
Established in summer 2017, the client panel advises on the priorities they would like to see reflected in the simplification of the notification process. The client panel meets every eight weeks and currently consists of representatives from VRC, ORAM, Vopak, Euro Nordic, Vertom, Wilson, Trans-Saar, LBH and Tata Steel Nebam.
There is also a working group consisting of agents who use the PCS on a daily basis. Together with Portbase and both port authorities, they strive to identify and elaborate the most appropriate solution. The precise membership of the working group can vary depending on the topic.
More information
If you have questions or suggestions concerning the notification process, you can contact Louis van Waasdijk, Adviser to the Harbour Master Division at the Port of Rotterdam Authority. He can be reached on +31 (0)10 252 1858, +31 (0)61 093 8114
and at l.van.waasdijk@portofrotterdam.com.
The Harbour Master Division sends out a newsletter (in Dutch) to keep users like yourself informed of the latest developments in the ‘notifying the Harbour master’ process. Would you like to receive this newsletter? You can send an e-mail to l.van.waasdijk@portofrotterdam.com.
Go here to read previous editions.
