The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has received an update on the capabilities of the Supply Chain Information Highway, a digital tool designed to improve the efficiency and visibility of cargo shipments passing through the Port of Long Beach.
The Supply Chain Information Highway, now in its second phase of development, is undergoing field testing to fine-tune its capacity to supply aggregated data that will assist logistics partners in better planning, scheduling, and tracking cargo movement in real time from origin to destination.
Port of Long Beach CEO, Mario Cordero, said: “We are merging technology and collaboration to enable information sharing and connectivity across every link of the supply chain.
“By increasing cargo visibility, the Supply Chain Information Highway will deliver a more accurate record of container movement through the port complex, reduce delays, and aid the entire goods movement industry from end-to-end and coast-to-coast.”
The port’s six marine terminals are all using a beta version of the Supply Chain Information Highway.
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Three additional features were unveiled at a public meeting of the Board of Harbor Commissioners on 24 July, features meant to dramatically improve the functioning of the digital platform while satisfying the core objectives of this initiative:
- A dashboard designed for beneficial cargo owners allows customers to access information about the location of their containers within the port complex, highlighting which containers have arrived, which are undergoing inspection by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and which are ready to be picked up.
- A public “track and trace” page allows users to access the most up-to-date information about the status of containers moving through the Port of Long Beach. After inputting a unique tracking number, the user will be presented with a detailed list tracing every step the container goes through from the time it is loaded onto a vessel until it is unloaded on the docks.
- A public port operations dashboard that contains much of the information currently found in the port’s Weekly Advance Volume Estimate, or WAVE Report, including projected container volumes, vessel calls and turn times for trucks accessing marine terminals.
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The Supply Chain Information Highway is expected to be interoperable with comparable data-sharing networks used in the marine logistics business, with the technology eventually being used at other seaports around the country.
The Port of Oakland, the Northwest Seaport Alliance, the Utah Inland Port Authority, Port Miami, the South Carolina Ports Authority, and the Port of New York/New Jersey have already committed to collaborate and participate in the project with the Port of Long Beach.
In July 2023, the Port of Long Beach container volume declined in June recording a throughput of 597,076 TEU.
