VIDEO: Gothenburg works to cut emissions digitally

Designed in collaboration with other maritime operators, the “Digital Port Call” solution will lead to time and cost savings for vessels calling at the port.

“Today, there are numerous contacts that need to be made for a ship to arrive at berth, to load and unload and then depart. This consumes time and creates uncertainty,” said Fredrik Rauer, manager of port control at the Port of Gothenburg.

”Digital Port Call consolidates all communication points into a smooth and efficient chain where predictability for the entire ship call process becomes evident. This is a digital tool that many of us have been waiting for.”

Efficient planning

Through the Digital Port Call tool, all parties involved in a ship’s arrival, from the onboard captain to the harbour crew, will be  able to better plan their daily operations and maximise efficiency.

“It encompasses everything from booking pilots and tugs, ensuring cranes are in the right position for the vessel, having the port crew ready to receive ropes, knowing the prevailing wind strength, to identifying the vessels in port. Essentially, it ensures that the right information is available at the right time for effective planning of a smooth arrival,” Mr Rauer added.

Digital Port Call is the result of an extended collaboration between the Gothenburg Port Authority and the Finnish company Awake.AI, which is responsible for developing the service. In 2021, the parties launched a new digital Berth Planner tool, Allberth, to the market.

Now with this new tool, the collaboration aims to digitalise the whole port call.

From the ship’s departure from the previous port until it arrives, a plethora of information influences the voyage and needs to be communicated. In total, this involves nearly 120 different stakeholders that need to be synchronised in some way.

The tool allows captains to receive a comprehensive overview of the route to the Port of Gothenburg up to 36 hours before departure. Through a digital port call arrival declaration and its confirmation, speed into the port to minimise emissions and avoid anchoring and waiting for an assigned berth.

The Digital Port Call service is a crucial component of the Port of Gothenburg’s vision to lead in digitalising the entire logistics chain from sea to inland via the port.

It forms part of the major initiative Green Connection that the port is implementing to reduce port-related CO2 emissions by 70% by 2030. 

The tool is expected to be in use starting early 2024.