El Puerto de Algeciras, uno de los principales hubs marítimos a nivel global y uno de los principales puertos de contenedores de Europa, ha realizado un proyecto piloto junto con Maersk Line, APMT Algeciras, Marmedsa y PortXchange para optimizar las escalas de buques y así reducir las emisiones. El objetivo del piloto era mejorar el proceso de escala en puerto de forma holística y promover las llegadas justo a tiempo (JiT arrivals), a través de la implantación de la plataforma digital PortXchange.

El Puerto de Algeciras, situado en el Estrecho de Gibraltar, es el primer puerto español y el cuarto europeo en términos de carga total. Con más de 110.000 barcos / año cruzando el Estrecho de Gibraltar y 7.500 ha de aguas profundas, el Puerto de Algeciras promueve el concepto de puerto one-stop-shop en cuanto refiere a los servicios a buque (avituallamiento de combustible, reparaciones, suministros a buque y otros). Dado el número sustancial de escalas de Maersk Line en Algeciras, este puerto fue escogido como el escenario ideal para la realización del piloto.

Communication standards

All involved parties have a shared interest in improving collaboration and making port calls more efficient. The pilot has been running for approximately six weeks and resulted in improvements in idle time on departure and arrival of Maersk vessels. These results were achieved through the standardized data exchange and timely notifications about the planning status. PortXchange applies communication standards from the Taskforce Port Call Optimization to ensure everyone involved in the port call process speaks the same language.

Improved situational awareness 

PortXchange provides a centralized point for sharing real-time data to align all players during the port call. All users have an overview of the entire process and are immediately informed about any schedule changes.This common situational awareness helps respond quickly to the changing situation and make necessary adjustments in the planning. 

Just in time arrivals 

The time that the ship is requested to arrive at the pilot boarding place depends on different factors, including the availability of the berth, metocean conditions, pilots, and tugs, amongst others. During the last 48 hours before arriving at the port of call, many changes might happen. Timely updates between port authorities, terminals, shipping lines, and agents during these last hours are crucial for efficient port calls. However, if something changes at the last minute in practice, the vessel usually doesn’t have enough time to respond. PortXchange aims to resolve this challenge by showing planning updates as soon as they occur. This allows the vessel to optimize its speed and decrease unnecessary emissions, for example, if the ETA berth is rescheduled to a later hour.  

Synchronization of port operations

Francisco de los Santos, Chief Information and Innovation Officer from the Algeciras Port Authority, is excited about the project: “Synchronization of port operations from a holistic perspective is key for Port of Algeciras competitiveness. With this goal in mind, we apply international standards to speak the same language and combine advanced tools like cloud computing, machine learning, and API to automate real-time data sharing and collaboration among all parties involved in a Port Call process. Although we have a local Port Collaboration platform in place, we are making efforts to remain “technology agnostic” and be ready to collaborate with any platform which can add value to the business. This pilot with PortXchange is a real example of collaboration and business focus. A step further to make port logistics more data-driven, transparent, efficient, and sustainable. “

Henrik Petersen, Head of Marine Maersk Line SEULOC, also acknowledges the potential of the pilot: “With PortXchange we see the possibility to optimize the port calls and berth replacement manoeuvres which finally results in the idle time reduction. Having all actors using the platform maximizes its value. So the commitment and participation of the whole port community are essential for achieving the desired results.”