The Port of Scheveningen has been using Portmaster since September 2018. The Port of Rotterdam Authority developers attuned the port management system to the needs of the relatively small port in Scheveningen.
“As port management, you are obliged to maintain various management systems,”explained Korstiaan Huisman, interim Head of the Traffic Center department. “Our previous supplier could no longer offer support. I was already familiar with Portmaster and the Port of Rotterdam Authority wanted to use our port as pilot area for the further development of this. So this came just at the right time.”
Large and small
As management system, Portmaster, part of the Port of Rotterdam Authority PORT FORWARD portfolio, is suitable for both small and large ports. With approximately 4,000 port calls per year, size-wise the Port of Scheveningen cannot be compared with the Port of Rotterdam. However, the port authorities still need to satisfy the same statutory obligations and can use Portmaster for this. “Every commercial vessel arriving at a port must report 24 hours in advance,” stated Huisman. “As port management, we must forward these reports to the government’s maritime single window. We can do this with Portmaster. And we can also use this system for invoicing.”
Modular system
The Port of Scheveningen is using the basic version of Portmaster, which can later be expanded, as the system is modular. “The next step is to add the module for maintaining a monitoring and reporting journal on operational details and shift changes. The Port of Rotterdam Authority will also be testing new modules in our port.”
Broad support
The Portmaster version for Scheveningen was developed and implemented by the Digital Business Solutions department from the Port of Rotterdam Authority. The operators working with the system in Scheveningen were closely involved in this. Huisman: “Our operators thought that the option to change berths in the port wasn’t clear enough and this was modified at their request. It’s a great way of working that has resulted in the system being supported across our organisation. It also demonstrates that the large Port of Rotterdam, where Portmaster was developed, can place itself in the position of the smaller ports. They understand how we work and modify the system accordingly. Moreover, we can benefit from knowledge and IT developments in the Port of Rotterdam.”
Faster and more precise
The implementation took two months and, according to Huisman, ran very smoothly. “We hardly needed any fine-tuning. It performed really well straight away.” The Port of Rotterdam Authority can service and update the system remotely as well as repair faults, where necessary. “Portmaster works perfectly and is easy to operate. A big advantage is that we can now add vessels and companies to the system ourselves. Our software supplier used to have to do this, which took more time and was also prone to error. Portmaster enables us to work more efficiently.
Some 4,000 vessels call at the Port of Scheveningen each year, 80% of which are fishing vessels. Various government and cargo vessels also enter the port each week. Scheveningen is also a port of call for leisure vessels.
