Having been able to restructure the World of Ports services portal from scratch in the last year and a half, Inchcape Shipping Services, a shipping agent, released the portal’s 2.0 version, which they concentrated on to ensure ship-to-berth and Port Data compatibility. The Vice President of the Product and Sales development, Jeff Clark, stated that the release and the upcoming releases have plenty of novel features and specs that will offer the clients unparalleled transparency and market intelligence.
Commencing its operation in 2007, World of Ports made it into the online servicing platform in 2010. Jeff Clark stated that the idea of forming the service was developed after a client requested a dataset that the chartering team would utilize to ensure efficiency in cargo operation.
They then went ahead to launch a solution that is currently acting as a trusted data source for all Inchcape Shipping Service customers in numerous fields, including shipping firms, ship managers, and gas and oil majors globally. In comparison to other multiple port intelligence providing agencies, under the leadership of ISS CEO Frank Olsen, Inchcape Shipping Service collects its data directly from their own worldwide located agency network. The data is then verified by the data analysts’ team working for the firm with well-versed personnel and has experience in seafaring. The team collected is headed by Master Mariner, with all staff members equipped with practical and risk issues.
The firm’s workers know the significance of building trust with the venture partners and clients and achieving good public relations. The 2.0 version of World of Ports established by the shipping agent has around 4,600 ports, close to 16,000 terminals, and nearly 36,000 berths worldwide. The revamped version essence was fueled by the firm’s vision to become a first-class marine assurance sector decision-making tool putting to use dependable global knowledge in real-time. Clark said that the data they collected helped them layout a strategic work plan to bring the service into play.
Besides an upgrade to the user interface, the 2.0 also had four modules that came loaded with features that facilitated customers’ competitive advantage. The launched Port Data Module was expected to be closely followed by the Port Performance Module, Port Cost Estimator Module, and Market Intelligence for a year. Operated together, they aimed to assist the community in operations and marine assurance to plan and execute voyage schemes that would have been considered impossible in the recent past. Charters are enabled by the Port Data Module to automated prior checks on operations by utilizing extensive data on the port restrictions and parameters with the vessel data to determine the maximal ship-to-berth compatibility.
Clark added that any process that enables predicting cargo operations easier is top-notch, and it gets a lot of attention. Significant among the latest features is the one-stop search operation, which uses cutting-edge advanced searching filters. A vessels’ IMO number, name, generic vessel type, and size can be searched. After that, you can select a region, port, or even country to look into, and you will retrieve only compatible locations applying to your vessel or fleet search.
The online service has become a significant help in time-saving as individuals no longer have to personally gather and update detailed information. The time saved has helped focus on looking into corporate advantages more, helping expand the venture. The vessel tracking strategy was integrated into the system for closer monitoring of departures and arrivals to the port of close to 50,000 vessels globally.
Background Details
The technique has also been used mostly in geofencing and geocoding berths, terminals, and ports. As reported by Clark, geofencing is a unique way to reduce ambiguous locations situations to enable tracking port calls and congestion and vessel line-up within the port.
