New port system will provide central information hub

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) is gearing up to roll out a new port management system that will integrate ports across the country, significantly improving service delivery. The test phase of the new Integrated Port Management System (IPMS) will kick off at the Port of Durban on March 31, with the Port of Cape Town having been identified as the second port for implementation. “We will be able to give exact dates only once the testing in Durban has been concluded,” said Cape Town port spokesman Babalwa Stamper. Members of the Exporters’ Club Western Cape were last week given a preview of the system and its capabilities which include automatic berthing allocations, aerial satellite views of the ports, arrival and departure times of vessels, real time service delivery statistics and a host of other features. According to Stamper, the system is aimed at improving the efficiency of the country’s ports through an integrated system that enables all stakeholders across the supply chain beyond the ports’ authority to share information with each other. A shipping line will, through this system, automatically be granted a berthing slot while services such as tugs or pilots can be acquired online. “Notifications, verifications and changes will automatically be sent and shared across the platform,” she said. As a general feature the system will have information such as berth occupancy statistics, berth utilisation, resource utilisation, vessel movements, commodities handled, delay statistics and even any given port’s safety statistics readily available. “It allows its users immediate information on the status of any port in the country at any given time.” Stamper said a range of workshops would be held across the country to introduce the system. International ports such as the Port of Hamburg have for some time been using similar telematics service solutions to improve delivery times. The sharing of data in this fashion creates more co-ordination in the system while it also improves communication across the board. Ultimately this results in better planning not only for the ports authority but also its customers and service providers, said Stamepr. CAPTION Babalwa Stamper, Cape Town port spokesperson. Photo: Halden Krog INSERT & CAPTION All stakeholders across the supply chain beyond the ports’ authority will be able to share information with each other. – Babalwa Stamper