APM Terminals is accelerating its roll-out of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) in a bid to handle the mass surge in container volumes.
An API is a software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other. APM Terminals’ APIs, specifically, connect a customer’s Transport or Logistics Planning System with real-time data from a terminal’s Terminal Operating System (TOS).
These interfaces remove the need to look up or submit information manually via a separate system, such as Track & Trace for container tracing or a separate online Truck Appointment system for appointments. This is ideal for shipping lines, inland transporters, cargo owners and managers that process higher container volumes.
APM Terminals Tangier in Morocco has recently been added to the company’s range of APIs bringing the total number of terminals supported by its container tracking and vessel schedule API feeds to 18.
Furthermore, the terminal operator has also allowed customers to track the complete life cycle of a container, launching a new Empty Container Returns API. This shows the date and time the container was gated in at a terminal.
In the last week, a Truck Appointment API was also rolled out for APM Terminals Gothenburg, Sweden and Vado Ligure, Italy.
This API enables customers to perform appointment tasks such as viewing available time slots; creating, updating and cancelling appointments; and producing a list of appointments, appointment information and updates for a requested timeframe.
“With these levels of volumes, the ability to set up and manage truck appointments quickly and efficiently using our own familiar Transport Management System is essential,” said Markus Ekwall, Department Head at GDL Sjöcontainer AB, the first customer to implement the Truck Appointment API.
“Managing all aspects of the logistics chain in a single system improves productivity enormously and simplifies the logistics process for employees managing thousands of transactions each day. Setting up the APIs couldn’t have gone more smoothly and support from APM Terminals’ API team ensured that we were up and running extremely quickly with the new Truck Appointment API.”
In other recent news, in a bid to meet rising demand, APM Terminals Aarhus completed the installation of a further 180 reefer plugs at its facility.
In 2020 volumes at the terminal grew by around 13%. This was then accelerated further in 2021, handling a record 397,121 container moves, up 20% from the previous year.
