Ports across the world have been the key architects of the intricate international trade supply chains that exist today. These facilities have undergone many changes since their inception. The past decade in particular has witnessed rather steep changes with regard to the way these ports operate. A number of facilities have undergone digital transformation to become “smart ports”, as they are known today. As technology is changing rapidly, digitalised ports are becoming a new nor-mal, offering countries such as India a rich learning experience to draw from. European ports such as those at Hamburg, Rotterdam and Antwerp make for interesting case studies, given their initiatives related to the adoption of a wide range of solutions geared towards making marked improvements in efficiency parameters.
Indian Infrastructure provides a brief account of the digital initiatives at these state-of-the-art facilities…
Port of Rotterdam
The largest seaport in Europe, the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands is considered to be among the best in the world. The Dutch facility has gained from its government’s prescient policies that have led port operators to step up their digitalisation initiatives, which are still ongoing. The port authority along with its partners and vendors is pushing ahead with its plans to make the facility suitable for handling autonomous ships (a concept akin to driverless cars) by 2025. The port already has an unmanned container terminal located in Maasvlakte within the port’s premises. The facility has autonomous cranes and remote-controlled trucks to handle operations.
Using internet of things (IoT) solutions, the port is creating its “digital twin” (a solution by IBM), essentially a mirror image of itself in a digital format, reflecting all its resources. The digital port (backed by data) tracks ship movements, state of infrastructure, weather conditions and water depth with accuracy and in real time. This allows the port authority to test different simulated scenarios and better understand scope for efficiency improvement, fleet management and reduction in ship turnaround time, while maintaining stringent safety standards.
Rotterdam port has also deployed IoT sensors, artificial intelligence (AI) and smart weather data solutions to monitor key parameters such as availability of berths. These solutions also capture hydro and meteo (weather) data that aid shipping lines and the port authority to choose the best time to let a ship enter the facility for docking and unloading purposes. Such data (which is collected on a daily basis) also helps in calculating clearance heights for ships. Calm waters and supportive weather conditions facilitate better ship handling, reduce payloads per vessel and ensure safe reception of cargo at the port. Moreover, this results in lower fuel consumption by ships, contributing towards the facility’s aim of halving its carbon footprint by 2025.
A number of other IoT-enabled applications that are running successfully at the port include “digital dolphins”, which simply put are smart walls and buoys with sensors that support cargo transfer between two ships. Such operations generate accurate data, which gives insights into the condition and utilisation of a berthing terminal, its surrounding waters as well as prevailing weather conditions. In the coming years, the port authority is also considering the deployment of machine learning solutions, to be based on all the data generated. These solutions will play a key role in handling of autonomous vessels at the port.
Over the past year, the port also introduced its digital shipping app, Pronto, which is a shared digital platform that enables optimal planning, execution and monitoring of all activities during a vessel’s port call. This algorithm is based on the exchange of standardised data among various stakeholders. Other real-time apps include Boxinsider, Navigate and OnTrack. Some of the key technology providers working with the port are IBM, ESRI, Cisco, Tele2 and Axians.
Port of Hamburg
Located on the German coast, the Port of Hamburg is another major facility that is taking notable smart steps to maintain its edge in the fiercely competitive continent. The port’s plan towards becoming “smart” began in 2011, when the authority chalked out its future roadmap till 2025. It kicked off its deployment of IoT solutions with a series of 20 projects known as “smartPort Logistics” through which it carries out predictive and preventive maintenance of its assets. This is carried out through smart sensors that are attached to various components such as bridges and cranes and are connected to the appropriate teams responsible for them through mobile apps and the port’s dashboard.
Another key application Vessel Traffic Services (VTS), is a real-time marine traffic monitoring system that provides information on whether bridges are open or closed (for the ship to enter the dock area), besides highlighting areas which are under construction. VTS makes use of digital maps combined with automatic identification system data on the position of ships, sea levels and berth congestion. Besides traffic, crucial data is collected with regard to the real-time scenario at the container terminals and the schedule of bridges for lowering/ raising the clearance height, based on the ship’s height. Trucks, which are responsible for last-mile cargo delivery, are integrated with a connected database and thus truck drivers queue up accordingly (provided they have confirmed appointments). There is a separate control room that draws from various streams of data to predict travel time into terminals. During peak hours, alternative routes are suggested to better manage the traffic and avoid congestion.
In June 2019, the port successfully completed its test run for the adoption of 5G technology-enabled IoT applications. The test runs were conducted for one year and included key applications such as connected shipping, remote control of traffic lights, and augmented reality (AR). The focus of the test project was the port’s upcoming “network slicing” technology. In this technology, there are multiple virtual networks running simultaneously on common infrastructure. These different networks, called slices, may have characteristics tailored to meet the specific requirements of a particular application or user group. For instance, one slice may deal with alerting the priority circuit in case of a sea storm. The experience gained from the test run of the project will aid the port authority in validating and improving existing systems.
With regard to AR, the port is using state-of-the-art equipment such as AR glasses to aid workers in learning to operate new machineries with the use of 3D imagery. Another futuristic initiative at the facility is testing of Tesla’s hyperloop system. Approved in 2018 by the port authority, the project aims at transporting shipping containers at the speed of 1,000 km per hour in a part-vacuum tube that would be situated between the quayside and the container yards at the port.
The smart facility at Hamburg is an outcome of careful investments in IoT-based solutions with specific yield targets. The task is still ongoing, as the port’s technology solutions providers such as Cisco, SAP and Deutsche Telekom are working towards maintaining and building on the success that has already been achieved.
Port of Antwerp
Another port that is forging ahead with its digitalisation efforts is the Port of Antwerp located on the Belgian coast. It is among the most sought after destinations for container ships that cater to the European continent. One of its key initiatives has been the development of NxtPort, the facility’s digital collaboration platform that was launched in 2016. The platform serves as a repository for data uploading and storage, in addition to providing all stakeholders (port authority, customs, shipping lines, freight forwarders, truck companies, etc.) with access to the data pool. The same database is used to develop digitalised market applications catering to various stakeholders, so that consistency is maintained across all products. The port authority has tied up with technology solutions company T-Mining, which is working on digitalising key operational aspects and thereby creating digital documents and smart contracts by using blockchain technology.
In 2018, the port carried out its first pilot project related to blockchain-based smart documents. The port authority is utilising a composite billing system to prevent theft by smugglers. In the earlier scheme of things, a truck driver would present a carrier-generated PIN code relating to a specific incoming container. This code was often shared with more parties than necessary, and thus could be intercepted by criminals in a variety of ways, if any of the computers involved were hacked. However, with blockchain-enabled smart contracts, the back-end technology remains robust against these potential slippages. The port has also taken another initiative, a local digital geofence that stops data being accessed from outside the relevant terminal. Overall, these initiatives have been directed towards ensuring safe and reliable operations in the minimum time possible.
Summing up
Digitalisation through IoT applications is rapidly changing the ways businesses are being conducted across the globe, and ports are no exception. With increasing trade volumes and rebalancing of trade blocs in recent times, it has become particularly important for these facilities to adapt and meet the new normal standards, not only to ensure their relevance and existence, but also to display competitive strength. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic makes the case for technology adoption even stronger, going forward.