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the records are immediately available should there be any dispute about our service provision.”
MASSIVE CHANGE
The digital ordering of incoming trips truly constitutes a massive change, emphasises Peekstok. Agents have operated according to the same approach for ages. “Everyone needs to get used to digitally ordering three hours in advance. From the first idea, we therefore worked intensively with the Association of Rotterdam Shipbrokers and Agents (VRC), but also with agents on an individual basis. After all, every market segment has its own characteristics.” Even now
that digital ordering has become a reality, the Dutch Maritime Pilots’ Organisation is continuing to keep a finger on the pulse. “As harbour master, agents, tug providers and Loodswezen Rotterdam-Rijnmond, we have agreed to extensively evaluate the new working method together after six months.”
LARGEST IT PROJECT IN YEARS
The realisation of the new ordering process was a co-creation between programmers from Portbase, HaMIS (Port Management system)
and the Dutch Maritime Pilots’ Organisation. Oskam: “For us as Loodswezen Rotterdam-Rijnmond, this is the largest piece of software that we have put live in many years. The digitisation of ordering outgoing and shifting pilot trips two years ago was also a major project, but automating the incoming process involved many more variables.”
GIDS provides agents and terminals with current insight
In addition to adjustments to its own planning and deployment
system SPIL, Loodswezen Rotterdam-Rijnmond has also incorporated the information from the new digital incoming process into GIDS (Joint Interactive Service Providers System). Via this system, which
was developed in-house, the pilots coordinate the available capacity with tugs and boatmen. This coordination allows for each ship to
be optimally served. Oskam: “GIDS is a system that has organically developed over time. Nowadays, we also use it to provide agents
and terminals with insight into the progression of a voyage: the pilot boards the vessel at this time, the vessel arrives at Lage Licht at the entrance to the port at this time etc. Every step in the pilotage process is visible.”
Peekstok in conclusion: “Agents and terminals in Rotterdam-Rijnmond can subscribe to GIDS free-of-charge. Agents now use it for 80 to 85 percent of all trips to optimise their own planning and to notify the terminals about the time at which a ship will be docked. It is an extra bit of service that we offer our customers.”
‘For our planners at Loodswezen Rotterdam- Rijnmond,
it is a real improvement. We now know what to expect three hours ahead of time’
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