Time For Terminal Operators To Digitise

Shipowners and terminal operators need to digitise the entire liquid bulk loading and unloading process if they are to meet their environmental and vessel OpEx targets, according to Hans Bobeldijk, CEO of UAB-Online. 

With the environmental debate shifting towards what ports can do to reduce vessel CO₂  and NO_X  emissions at the quayside, any move to reduce the time a vessel is tied up loading and unloading cargoes like liquid bulk must happen, he warned.

It is all down to digitised planning of the liquid bulk loading and unloading process at the pre-arrival and arrival stages: by digitally preparing, signing and dispatching the necessary pre-arrival documentation, all elements of the process are made more efficient. According to UAB-Online, revision of the International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals (ISGOTT 6) regulations will be the driving force behind the need for greater digitalisation of liquid bulk handling. 

“By employing digitised solutions, terminals can reduce the amount of time vessels spend at the berth by undertaking many of the loading and unloading procedures prior to the vessel’s arrival. The reduced waiting times and port stays, which can save up to 90 minutes per vessel, can dramatically reduce the levels of greenhouse gas emissions at the terminals,” Mr Bobeldijk stressed. 

By digitising the whole process, the reduced port stay times, which significantly cut engine CO₂ and NO_X emissions, and the fact that more than 400 essential safety checks can be filled out digitally and in advance, ensure the arrival process is safer and more efficient – saving time, money and resources that would otherwise be required to complete the lengthy administrative and operational procedures. UAB-Online’s digital solutions-based platform is fully compliant with the ISGOTT 6 checklist, and it benefits as a highly efficient, streamlined and more sustainable operation.

“We see it on a larger scale where vessel owners and terminals start to realise massive savings in time and resource by shifting the preparatory phase from a physical phase onboard to a digitised pre-arrival procedure. Previously, the vessel arrived at the jetty and the loading master went onboard and did the preparatory phase by checking all the documents, now this can all be done in advance through digitised platforms,” he added.

UAB-Online’s digitised platform is recognised as the standard for liquid bulk handling by more than 60 inland and sea-going terminals in The Netherlands and Belgium and, together with the near 2,800 active ships coupled with their supporting surveyors, agents and charterers, all have benefited from lower costs and shorter overall port stay.

The company is expanding its highly digitised industry-standard ‘software as a service’ (SaaS) platform into the deep-sea liquid bulk handling markets of North America and Asia, bringing its established expertise and reliability to the major port regions of Houston and Singapore. The move was build on UAB-Online’s strength as the standard process in Northern Europe and the need for their clients to make port calls in other parts of the world.

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