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Cranes, trucks, tractors (external trucks
coming into the yard with deliveries), even
CCTV cameras are all online to monitor
operations in the yard and are controlled
from the control room.
the flowof info
The nGen system does have some
knowledge of what happens in the world
outside the terminal. Ships, as soon as they
leave port, will send an EDI (Electronic
Data Interchange) that goes into the nGen
system with details about its cargo, and
what cargo needs to go where. Agents
may amend those instructions while the
ship is in motion, but the Control Room has
some idea of what is coming and can start
planning. That notice can be weeks ahead
of a ship’s arrival if coming from Europe or
as little as six to eight hours if coming from
Yantian Port, just up the river.
Once the EDI arrives, it files automatically
into nGen which sends it to ‘Guider’, the ship
planning part of the software. Algorithms
do their thing and prepare a Smart Plan – an
initial guide as to where to send the boat
and how to unload it based on the EDI
instructions. The plan will land in the hands
of a real person – a ship planner, who will
adjust it based on their experience. That
person will then be responsible for ensuring
that the final plan works.
The OMS – Operational Monitoring System
– is the software that tracks every element
in the yard. It knows where the trucks,
cranes, containers, river barges, and sea-
going vessels are. The ship planners work
on one ship at a time, ensuring a smooth
execution of the plan and happy customers.
The planners then check final loading with
a ship’s captain – sometimes at the behest
of Guider, which will flag any loading issues
related to container weights and stacking
patterns.
the future
Franco Ning is excited about a near future
where the software enables more detailed
scenario planning. Ship’s planners will be
able to tweak parameters and see the effects
as they ripple out across the virtual port.
This will allow them to make better use of
resources and improve their already world
class KPI results in stay-at-port times, tractor
turnaround times and more. Technology
will increasingly be used in operations to
enhance efficiency and maximise resources.
New technologies have also been
deployed to make the port increasingly
environmentally friendly. Many of the
previously purely diesel cranes have been
replaced by hybrid and purely electric
cranes. Franco said that this has had a
visible improvement on the air quality in the
ports, reducing diesel emissions at ground
level. Still, he can see near and far future
technologies transforming the work of the
control room and terminal.
The HIT control room respects its maritime
history both in its appearance and in its
traditional values of commitment and hard
work. With a nod to the past and an eye on
the future, the Mr Nings, Mr Yips and the
young Ms Wongs of the HIT control room
will keep the containers flowing well into
the 21st century.
Franco Ning is excited about a near
future where the software enables
more detailed scenario planning.
Ship’s planners will be able to
tweak parameters and see the
effects as they ripple out across
the virtual port.
SpHere
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2013
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