Case Study – Port of Halifax
Customer Profile
The Port of Halifax is known for its location, facilities, services, and connection to locations around the world. The port is administered by the Halifax Port Authority (HPA), a successful Canadian federal organization with an international reputation for providing cost efficient and effective services, using the latest technologies. With seamless inter-modal connections to and from the heartland of North America, the Port of Halifax is Canada’s Atlantic Gateway to the world. Halifax’s strategic location, efficient infrastructure and unparalleled service have made it the preferred connection to Europe, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia via the Suez Canal, providing comprehensive global coverage for exporters and importers.
Business Situation
The HPA has two state-of-the-art advanced container terminals that offer round-the-clock vessel service, and they process approximately 100,000 import containers annually. These containers are discharged and shipped to points across the continent; some by road and some by rail. With several parties involved, and frequent traffic, the HPA needed to work towards getting inbound containers out to customers quicker. In order to better provide clients with the information they need, the Halifax Port Authority wanted a secure, password-protected area on their website where clients could go to find what they need. The Port of Halifax also saw room for improvement in vessel and container dwell time. Because of this, the HPA needed better systems for tracking incoming/outgoing containers and vessels.
Benefits
The HPA is now able to address any gaps in service and prevent issues through daily tracking. The Vessel Traffic Management System has enabled the HPA to quickly address operational conflicts. The Container Dwell Time Management System (CDTMS) has improved efficiencies by providing an excellent means of analyzing the steps involved in inbound container processing with a focus on dwell time. Discharge lists are now submitted to the Halifax Port Authority in Electronic Data Interchange format via FTP and/or e-mail. Once event files are received, the CDTMS analyses the data, and transforms and merges the imported data to create a clear and distinct view of the containers arriving in the Port. This information includes discharge, ramp, depart, arrive, and re-ramp date and times. The CDTMS desktop application currently contains several statistical reports analyzing (empirically and graphically) the various container dwell times. The application also allows users to look up specific voyages/containers by specifying details such as container number.
The HPA is able to come through on its commitment to fast and efficient ship turnarounds which has strengthened its competitive position gaining the trust of more than 20 direct liner services.
