ICT: An Enabler For Transformation

How far have international agreements and support been crucial to this transformation?

There have been various bilateral agreements signed between Governments (G2G) and the private sector as well. These agreements have been concluded mainly as a strategic alliance for technology, skills transfer and capacity building where an overseas proven and well tried and tested technology and/or service is replicated and customised to fit in the requirements of the local context. This is a crucial component of the digital transformation process as the transfer of knowledge, skills and experience means a drastic reduction in learning curve as well as minimum investment in time, resources and effort towards the smooth running of projects.

A sound example is the agreement signed between Mauritius and Singapore for the Biometric Mauritius National Identity Card with Fingerprint Recognition.

Examples of private sector collaboration are local companies which are turnkey solutions providers seeking partnerships with Oracle, SAP or Microsoft to benefit from off-the-shelf solutions with maintenance and support as well as roping in their resources for project delivery and training purposes.

The local companies therefore further benefit in that they do not have to invest heavily to master new technologies and products and also enrich their resources portfolio. There are other instances where very specific skills are required in a niche area or nascent technology where the required proximity and attention can only be sought through outsourcing from a reliable partner who has the clout, expertise, goodwill and track record for that purpose.

The Port of Mauritius is referred to as the “lungs of the Mauritian economy”. Can you further elaborate on the advent of innovation and IT in this specific sector?

The Port of Mauritius indeed is a key enabler component and driver of our economy since almost 99% of our imports and exports transit through our port. You improve your port; you improve your country!

IT and innovation are called upon to play an ever increasing role for the maritime sector altogether and all ports and maritime companies are aware of the need for change. The competitive nature of the port industry is driving innovation in order to meet important environmental goals, improve safety and security, and push logistics costs ever downward. Digitisation and the exchange of data has become a significant contemporary trend.

The International Maritime Organisation’s, Facilitation of International Marine Traffic Convention (FAL) has since April 2019 made it mandatory for ships and ports to exchange FAL data electronically within a transition period of 12 months.

A recent joint collaboration between the Port of Rotterdam and the British Ports Association identified a digital maturity model in four stages to service the port sector.

Stage 1: Digitising the different parties in the port, that is, the Port Authority, the authorities and the nautical service providers and agents.

In order to do so, port companies should implement a Port Management System (PMS). This supports the administrative and financial processing of calls and facilitates, the digitisation of the departure and arrival of ships, dock planning and cargo handling. The system can further be enhanced by including Automatic Identification System technology on board of the ship and sensors in the port for better communication, tracking and asset management.

Stage 2: Integrated Systems into a Port Community

The above PMS develops into a Port Community System (PCS) where information can be digitally exchanged over secured lines within the port community leading to reliable, efficient and paperless data flows. The PCS optimises, manages and automates port and logistic processes through a single submission of data in the port logistics chain. The advantage of this approach is to take care of scalability issues where the bilateral linking of systems becomes inefficient as the number of players in the port grows rapidly. It is therefore best to link all the disparate systems into a central platform enabling the port to operate as a single entry further enhancing and securing B2G and B2B communications.

Stage 3: Logistics Chain Integrated with Hinterland

At this level, hinterland players are also involved in the digital communications within the port community. Information from the PCS about, say, Estimated Time of Arrival/Actual Time of Arrival and Estimated Time of Departure/Actual Time of Departure are shared with inland terminals, empty depots, carriers etc. Consequently, parties in the hinterland have a real-time insight into cargo and ship visits, which makes better planning possible.

For ports and their hinterland, the digital sharing of information yields competitive advantages: shorter transit times, reliable hinterland transport and lower costs. For potential clients, this can be what prompts them to consider a port shift. In addition, ports and hinterland players can get to know each other’s needs and the needs of their clients, which reinforces their joint clout.

Stage 4: Connected Ports in the Global Logistics Chain

At this level, the communications between a port and its hinterland are expanded to other ports around the world, and these in turn are digitally linked to their own hinterland. This way, an integrated door-to-door digital logistics chain is created on a global scale, making optimum use of different transport modes.

Since sea-going vessels call at several ports, delays at one port can affect the available capacity at the next one. Or otherwise the ship has to increase its speed with an increase of emissions. This is mainly the case if the ports are close to one another. By informing each other in good time of sailing routes and any divergence from their schedule, ports are able to make optimum use of their capacity and achieve shorter, reliable transit times. Being able to respond in real- time to changes in the schedule means fewer delays, Just-in- Time operations and a seamless cargo flow from the source to the customer.

How far has the port come regarding Port technology and what new challenges do you perceive?

It is hard to assess and benchmark the port’s IT readiness in the absence of information about its hardware, telecommunications and network infrastructure as well as its systems and applications software and any interconnections and interoperability with other systems.

However, the challenge is the migration to an IT architecture that shall support the core port operations of Port Services, Bunkering, Sea Food, Transhipment and Cruise to smoothly function with minimum turnaround time, maximum efficiency, enhanced security, green footprint and low transactional cost.

While embracing technology and innovation is a no brainer to become competitive, productive and efficient, consideration should be given to other unquantifiable factors such as transparency, security, intellectual capital and structural capital to effectively drive the transformation process. Decision makers should devise appropriate strategies to be proactive and responsive to challenges of a complex industry. There should also be an IT Policy Framework that should be periodically revisited to accommodate new trends and in line with evolving regulatory standards. This document should designate overall accountability for IT and cyber security issues to a specific department or individual.