Crane Executor app

Touch screen powered devices using arl-shipping.com’s Crane Executor app are already being operated by stevedores at ports in east and west Africa. They are being used the quayside or on board the vessel during handling to relay real-time information to the shipping line saving time and effort by removing redundant manual work.

The Crane Executor app is suitable for any size container facility which doesn’t have a TOS with capability of tracking container moves at quay side. The terminal just needs to have an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) connection.

René Bendt, director, arl-shipping.com, said: “Public mobile connectivity is often readily available in ports even those which have not invested too much in infrastructure and this provides an opportunity for us to add value to the handling operation.”

He pointed out that aside from the obvious benefit of saving time because of the removal of paperwork and redundant manual work, Bills of Lading can be issued earlier benefitting the trading process and cash flow for export customers.

The app enables the shipping line’s discharge and load instructions and bayplan to be received on the touch screen before a port call is made, enabling stevedores to plan handlings in real-time and ensure they are only loaded and unloaded in empty and available slots.

Evgeny Drokov from ARL Shipping told Port Strategy that any number of simultaneous vessels and a mix of onboard and onquay cranes are well supported by the Crane Executor app. Moves confirmed by one handheld device following one crane, are “sync’ed” to other handhelds following other cranes.

arl-shipping.com also provides a graphical handheld app, the Quay Crane Visualiser, which relays a graphical stowage plan and move list to quayside workers.