Simple STM connection for ports
More ports can now connect to the Sea Traffic Management (STM) community by using a small selection of the standard messages, to share and receive estimated time of arrival (ETA) and actual time of departure (ATD) with other ports.
In the STM Validation Project, thirteen ports have joined to test the Port Collaborative Decision Making (PortCDM) concept. In these ports all major actors will use the new Port Call Message Standard to share estimated and actual times for different events through a port unique communication backbone. When they have different information regarding estimated times they will receive a notification and can establish better accuracy together.
One important benefit of PortCDM is information sharing between ports. A good example of this is the port of Limassol, which initiated contact with ports in neighbouring countries such as Israel and Jordan. Together with the project, these ports have defined a minimum set of information to be exchanged and the formats to be used. The Estimated Time of Arrival and the Actual Time of Departure are the two key information pieces.
The PortCDM connection will be used by all ports in the project; Gothenburg will connect to Brofjorden and Valencia plans to connect to several Mediterranean ports, for example.
By selecting a limited set of the Port Call Message Standard, the effort and cost to connect is minimised and the benefits easy to reap – better planning for the port and its actors. Through the PortCDM connected ports, the STM community will grow and the functionality can spread quicker, which will improve the return on investment for ports and ship owners joining the project. More broadly, the maritime industry will modernise itself faster.
