The Port of Rotterdam has announced the new Geofency system to optimise ship movements.
This system is part of the first phase of the Just-in-Time sailing project, which is aimed at reducing CO2 emissions and improving ship movement efficiency.
Starting mid-October, terminal planners and shipping agents have been receiving an e-mail notification as soon as a vessel crosses an imaginary line, a so-called geofence, and enters the inland shipping Port-passage Planning Area (PPA).
That geofence is positioned at a distance of 240 nautical miles around the Maascenter buoy. When passing this line, the vessel receives an Actual Time of Arrival (ATA) in the PPA, which provides more precise arrival times scheduling and a reduction of waiting times.
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According to the port, Just-in-Time sailing offers considerable advantages regarding both the ecological footprint and the operational costs of inland shipping.
A 2022 research project has shown that, by using Just-In-Time arrivals during the last 12 hours of a journey, containerships can reduce their fuel consumption and the resulting carbon dioxide emissions by 4.23 per cent, reported the port.
The research was performed by order of the Global Industry Alliance to Support Low Carbon Shipping (Low Carbon GIA), against the backdrop of the GreenVoyage2050 project, a shared project of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Norway.
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The implementation of the Geofence system is a shared effort by various stakeholders within the port, including terminal operators, shipping agents and nautical service providers.
This collaboration aims to increase information reliability, which in turn will contribute to a more efficient and sustainable operation of the port.