The COVID-19 pandemic and obstruction of the Suez Canal have shown how important it is for ports and terminals to invest in real-time data analytic tools such as APIs, according to APM Terminals.
In a statement, the terminal operator said digital tools have become a “necessity” as opposed to a “nice to have”.
David Francis, Head of Digital Products at APM Terminals, said, ““With the unexpected becoming the norm, real-time data is becoming key to meeting customers growing expectations.
“Customers can be relatively understanding regarding delays, as supply chains are extremely complex.
“However, the complaint we hear the most is about not being kept updated. The real-time data provided by APIs can help reduce this by triggering communications to customers with updates on their cargo’s latest status.”
APM Terminals said it has improved data availability for its full range of container and vessel tracking APIs has been extended to APM Terminals Onne, Nigeria, APM Terminals Liberia, APM Terminals Itajaí, Brazil and APM Terminals Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico.
At the same time, existing APIs for the company’s terminals in Rotterdam Maasvlakte II, Tangier and Algeciras have been complimented by the addition of Event History and Empty Container Returns APIs. With the addition of these terminals, the company’s APIs are now available for 17 terminals.
The company said APIs enable its customers to pull real-time container and vessel data from its Terminal Operating Systems, into their own internal Logistics or Transport Management Systems.
Directly accessing real-time data removes the chance of human error and potential delays caused by this and also improves supply chain efficiency.
This is being confirmed by feedback received from customers who have switched the company’s manual Track & Trace solution to API data feeds.
