The exponential increase in containerisation across the world’s ports and terminals has given operators many logistical headaches. Having the correct management practices in place for efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness is paramount. With this evolution in how we handle maritime trade comes innovation in terms of computer technology. Terminal operating systems (TOS) are a vital facet of how terminals, both big and small, are managed around the world. The work that goes into creating these systems is arguably even more complicated than the situations that they are designed to alleviate. It’s a big, competitive and complicated business in which TOS innovators have to work around myriad factors such as language, economic legislation and international security conventions such as the ISPS code.
Esoware & Corpas focus on solution-providing
As with most companies, regardless of their industry, the firms that build TOS have a focus on problem-solving or rather, in less snappy terminology, solution-providing. A good example of this can be found in the case of the affiliated companies Esoware BV and Corpas BV. Esoware was originally owned by the Gallozzi Group in Salerno, Italy. Fifteen years ago, it created a product called Step which was designed to facilitate not only the most basic operations of a terminal, but also manage facets such as customs, agency work, reachstackers and mobile harbour cranes (MHCs). The Salerno terminal for which Step was built was handling around 40,000 TEU at the time. Step is designed to be extremely flexible and will accept data that is inputted manually, from inside the system, via electronic data exchange (EDI), email, or other means of communication. It processes details of the container, trucker, broker, agent, feeder, train, general cargo, bulk or status of a container. Inevitably, though, Salerno grew as a terminal and five years down the line was handling 480,000 TEU. This in turn required a system update, and as such Esoware reached an agreement with Corpas Rotterdam, a software firm owned by employees with experience from the mega-terminal ECT in Rotterdam. The companies have since focused on providing solutions to terminal operators across Europe, with Esoware gradually amalgamating all its software into Java. Two years ago, Esoware managing director Frans Jol left Salerno as managing director of the Galozzi Group, subsequently separating the software into Copas BV and all sales and marketing efforts into Esoware BV. “We want to deliver to our customers software that is easy to handle, not overdone, easy to learn, to change, to add to and correct at a price that also smaller- and medium-sized terminals can afford,” he explains. “And with a different way of thinking around it. This, for example means that our software operates on two simple servers, and no mainframe is needed. There is one server for operational work, one for administration, and when one has a problem the other takes it over automatically. Nothing will stop us of course to put an extra server on as security, but this all depends on the customer and the size of the terminal.” Step2 is the companies’ standard TOS, designed for small- and medium-sized terminals. Jol states that the companies’ software is currently used at several terminals in Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK, while several parts are in use in Croatia and the UAE. They are currently also implementing systems for two Italian customers – Lorenzini Group, Livorno and Rivalta Scrivia, Genoa. “With the financial crisis slowly disappearing behind us we feel confident that terminals are going to invest again. Our commitment is based on trust, friendship with our customers and based on the relationships we have built over the years. We do get more and more work,” says Frans. “For general cargo and bulk we can already accommodate all administrative steps into the Step2 module. What we have not done yet is a proper planning on the yard for this business. Other customers are currently asking for this as well, so this will be made this year.” Having recorded a good year in terms of orders in 2010, the company is enjoying a similar first half of this year.
ARL provide optimal resource planning
Dutch company ARL Shipping works within a narrow scope of making products to supplement and integrate with operators’ existing TOS. The company doesn’t offer its own TOS but, states company representative, Evgeny Drokov, it wants to work with all TOS providers. “Most of our products provide optimal resources planning, distribution and dispatching whilst maintaining efficiency and safety,” he explains. Among the company’s new products is the Lashing Planner, which aims to achieve the most cost-effective lashing assignments of lashing gangs, based on the vessel schedule and bay plans from the TOS. Another new development from ARL is the Yard Clash Predictor, which identifies potential bottlenecks and clashes on sea-side container terminals based on the planned moves in the TOS. In terms of forthcoming product developments, the company is set to launch the Sea Side Crane Bay Planner, which provides automated planning of quay cranes’ work in vessels’ bays. This optimises and balances the crane utilisation based on the bay plans and load/discharge moves planned in the TOS. It is also developing the Sea Side Crane Bay Distributor, which improves shift efficiency by automated distribution of quay cranes to incoming vessels. In addition to these is the Sea Side Crane Bay Executor, which will enable operators to confirm the loading and discharging of containers in real-time by stevedores from a hand-held computer. In September 2010, Zebra Enterprise Solutions (ZES), a division of Zebra Technologies, announced the launch of the Navis STAR Technology Alliance in partnership with ARL. (In March this year Cargotec completed the acquisition of Navis from Zebra Technologies). ARL’s involvement in the project is to help integrate rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) optimisation tools into the Navis SPARCS product – a container management software solution for real-time graphical planning and control of container terminals. This combined solution optimises the deployment of RTGs and can calculate the volume of RTGs required for next shifts based on yard impact time of planned quay crane operations in container terminals. Currently this system is deployed at one of the world’s largest terminals, which has purportedly seen a 20% reduction in RTG deployment.
Tideworks announce deal in New Caledonia
US-based Tideworks Technology has very recently announced a deal struck with GIE Nouméa Port in New Caledonia, which has chosen to implement Tideworks’ comprehensive TOS suite to streamline its current terminal operations. The TOS is scheduled to go live in the fourth quarter of 2011, and will utilise a strategic combination of Tideworks Technology resources in the US as well as from the Tideworks Asia office in Singapore. “Tideworks Technology has a strong and growing presence in the region, and we are extremely pleased to announce our latest agreement with GIE Nouméa Port in New Caledonia,” said Michael Schwank, President of Tideworks Technology, upon the announcement. “By implementing our comprehensive TOS suite, GIE Nouméa Port is ensuring their operations will run smoothly and more efficiently, and that they will receive the top-notch, hands-on support that Tideworks Technology offers to all customers.” The new Tideworks Technology system at Nouméa will include the deployment of the Mainsail Terminal Management System, Mainsail Online, Spinnaker Planning Management System, and Traffic Control. Additionally, Tideworks will provide all associated implementation services including project management, software customisation, user training, and go-live assistance. GIE Nouméa Port will receive Tideworks’ platinum maintenance and support services, which include 24/7 technical support and all software upgrades. Furthermore, under an Infrastructure Service Agreement incorporated in the master agreement, Tideworks will provide EDI services, remote administration of the application and database servers, operating system and database patches, and monitoring of system availability and performance.
Navis wins contract in Brazil
Navis, part of Cargotec Corporation, has won a contract at Terminal Vila Velha (TVV) in Brazil to replace its terminal operating system (TOS) of 10 years with Navis SPARCS N4 for gate, yard and vessel operations. Scheduled to go live in July 2011, SPARCS N4 will allow TVV to optimise operational processes, reduce costs and manage future growth. Vila Velha Terminal is based in Espirito Santo, Brazil and specialises in container handling and general cargo for import and export operations, servicing key Brazilian and international ports. TVV managed 250,000 TEU in 2010 and expects to increase this volume in 2011. By replacing the Cosmos TOS it used for the past ten years with SPARCS N4, TVV will handle this growth through modules that improve data accuracy, increase efficiency, and reduce operating and system administration costs. “We chose SPARCS N4 because of the unmatched features it provides and its highly configurable platform, which allows for fast deployment and easy integration with our legacy systems,” said Anderson Carvalho, Director of Terminals at Terminal Vila Velha. “In addition, SPARCS’ ability to manage multiple sites in a single instance will support our terminal as it continues to grow.” Navis SPARCS N4 offers the lowest possible total cost of ownership while allowing customers the flexibility and scalability to optimise operations from a single terminal or multiple terminals across numerous geographic locations, all in real-time. For TVV, SPARCS N4’s appeal lies in its flexibility, scalability and customisation features as well as the advanced electronic data interchange (EDI) capabilities. “After 10 years using another terminal operating system, we’re confident that SPARCS N4 can provide the scalability and optimised operations that Terminal Vila Velha will need with their anticipated increase in container volume,” said Bill Walsh, President of Navis. “We’re excited to provide TVV with the advanced technology that will allow them to efficiently manage operations.”
Solvo thrives in Eastern Europe
Solvo is a Russian TOS innovator that is currently thriving in Eastern Europe, and has implemented solutions elsewhere across the globe (its first projects were based in the USA). It provides Solvo.TOS – an integrated, modular, real-time, robust and fully automated container terminal management system that has been deployed on several terminals in different countries, such as Russia, Ukraine, Estonia, and others. Solvo has successfully implemented over 90 projects in Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Baltic countries. Yury Asotov from Solvo states that the company had a very successful year in 2010 in terms of the further development of Solvo.TOS and its partnership with new customers. One particular contract that he highlights was sealed with Baltic Stevedoring Company (BSC), operating in the city of Baltiysk (Kaliningrad region, Russia). For this contract, Solvo undertook to deploy a complex system for BSC’s container terminal operation management. Currently, the deployment project is underway. Another 2010 contract for Solvo was aimed at deploying Solvo.TOS to upgrade the operation management system of the Novoroslesexport container terminal in Novorossiysk. The company projects that this work will be concluded by July this year. Solvo also continued the works to deploy their system at the Fourth Stevedoring Company’s container terminal in St Petersburg. This project is reaching its completion as World Port Development goes to press. Further to this, the company states that it performed some custom development work in 2010 to implement add-on modules for existing customers. For example, a module for the prioritised processing of car vehicles was put in place at the request of AS Muuga CT in Estonia. A module for managing an RTG collecting site was also implemented at the request of the First Container Terminal in St Petersburg. Another module for integrating Autostop (C-Pics, Kone) with Solvo.TOS was created for the same terminal. A module for data exchange with a proprietary customs processing programme was implemented at the request of the Novoroslesexport container terminal in Novorossiysk. Solvo’s work at St Petersburg is a particularly notable case study of its work and how the innovators behind TOS must develop their solutions to meet customers’ needs. Helping the First Container Terminal at the port to reduce costs and improve efficiency as it handles more than a million TEU a year, it accentuates the vitality of computer systems in the implementation of maritime, containerised trade. Solvo also places an impetus on maintenance and updating its technologies, which is obviously vital in a market of constantly developing computer solutions.
Too much information
When conducting these high-level reviews of markets World Port Development often finds itself in one of two situations: making the most out of slivers of interesting information, or attempting to compound masses of developments into a concise overview. This review of TOS has definitely been the latter. The frenetic way in which this market is developing, and its associated complexities, makes it impressively impossible to do this ‘in short’. What we can very quickly assert, though, is that the solutions these companies provide to facilitate the expedient operations of ports is remarkable.