Most cargo data exchange works reasonably well before a vessel arrives and after it departs, but breaks down when operations are live. This insight highlights the critical mid-operation visibility gap and explains why decision-making suffers when conditions change but data does not keep pace.
To understand why data exchange is currently failing, it is necessary to first establish what data sharing means in the context of the terminal and carrier relationship. The port call is a data-driven process which begins with the carrier stating an Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA), followed by the terminal providing a berth assignment and incorporating the vessel into its berth line-up.
Next, the carrier receives updates on whether the berth will be available on arrival, how many cranes will be assigned, if yard space is ready, and whether there are any operational disruptions which might affect turnaround.
This entire process takes place through the pre-stowage plan and the final loading and discharge confirmation. These are both transmitted via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), a system first developed in the 1970s and one which remains the foundation of contemporary maritime data exchange.
EDI, while historically foundational, was not designed for real-time communication and delays critical operational visibility until after operations are completed.
The pre-stowage plan determines where cargo will be placed on the vessel, and the final EDI confirms what was actually loaded or discharged. During the mid-phase of cargo operations, carriers currently have no specific way of receiving updates on crane progress, yard delays, resource reallocations, or operational disruptions.
The exchange of information during this mid-operation phase remains underdeveloped, fragmented, and undigitalised. Traditional bilateral data exchanges create fragmented snapshots rather than a cohesive view, inhibiting coordinated responses to disruptions.
Insights from interviews reinforce this picture. Vessel operators describe the period from arrival to departure as a time with little visibility beyond what can be manually observed from the bridge. Carriers often fail to receive the detailed and time-sensitive information required to anticipate delays, adjust speed, and optimise future schedules.
To discover what effective cargo data exchange looks like, and how it can be achieved in today’s port operations read the full Thought Leadership report ‘Rethinking Cargo Data Exchange: Modernising Communication Between Terminals, Carriers, and Vessels’ produced in partnership with Kaleris.
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