The next IHMA 360° Webinar will be held on Wednesday, 30 June at 09:00 (BST).
Join Graham Howe, Business Development Director for ION for his presentation on'Global Challenges and Solutions for the Digitalisation of Mixed-use Ports' (see below for more information).
IHMA Commercial Member, ION is an innovative, asset light global technology company that delivers powerful data-driven decision-making to offshore energy, ports and defense industries.
Congress attendees and IHMA Members will be able to watch the webinar, including access to Q&A and live chat, once logged into the IHMA Congress event platform. Keep an eye out for the reminder email to access the session on Wednesday 30th.
Ports and terminals are at the centre of the digitalisation process in the shipping industry. To date a lot of focus, time and resources have been spent on the digitalisation of global hub container ports. These hub container ports have invested heavily in smart technologies in their drive to transform themselves into 'digital ports’ in order to facilitate the just in time shipping of large numbers of TEUs.
This has led to a ‘digital divide’ in smart technology adoption between the hub ports and the medium/smaller mixed use ports. There is, however, now a global awareness that the other part of the port sector has been underserved by technology. To address this, new solutions are entering the market at a faster rate than ever before and the cost barrier to port entry has also decreased.
Many medium and small size ports are now realising that digital technology adoption is key to increasing their operational efficiencies by reducing the errors associated with manual, paper-based processes. Digitalisation can have many positive outcomes including:
- An increased awareness of HSE issues, leading to an improved safety record
- Increased efficiency in back office functions, improving operational cash flow
- The reduction of vessel fuel consumption which will lower the port’s carbon footprint
This presentation will include case studies from around the world and outline the direction of digitalisation in the medium/small port sector in the next three to five years.
Latest News & Events
IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim has welcomed the World Health Organization’s decision to name seafarers as one of the groups of transportation workers that should be prioritised for Covid-19 vaccination in instances of limited supplies. This was reported on 22 July.
Updated guidance for Stage II of its vaccine roadmap from the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) states: ‘Seafarers and air crews who work on vessels that carry goods and no passengers, with special attention to seafarers who are stranded at sea and prevented from crossing international borders for crew change due to travel restrictions.’
IMO Secretary General Lim commented: ‘I am glad to see that the WHO recognises the importance of vaccinating seafarers on cargo ships.
‘These individuals are responsible for transporting over 80% of all goods around the world, including food, medicine and vaccine supplies – and have continued to do so despite extremely challenging circumstances. Seafarers will play a key role in the global recovery, and barriers to international travel and crew change must be removed.’
On 28 September 2019, a cargo tank containing styrene monomer on board the Cayman Islands registered chemical tanker Stolt Groenland ruptured causing an explosion and fire. The tanker was moored alongside a general cargo berth in Ulsan, Republic of Korea and the Singapore registered chemical tanker Bow Dalian was moored outboard. Ignition of the styrene monomer vapour resulted in a fireball, which reached the road bridge above. Both vessels were damaged, and two crew suffered minor injuries. Fifteen emergency responders were injured during the fire-fighting, which lasted for over six hours.
Rupture of the styrene monomer tank resulted from a runaway polymerisation that was initiated by elevated temperatures caused by heat transfer from other chemical cargoes. Elevated temperatures caused the inhibitor, added to prevent the chemical’s polymerisation during the voyage, to deplete more rapidly than expected. Although the styrene monomer had not been stowed directly adjacent to heated cargo, the potential for heat transfer through intermediate tanks was not fully appreciated or assessed.
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