An unprecedented collaboration between recognised IMO NGOs representing ports and shipping has produced an industry milestone: a framework and accompanying guide that will standardise core port call data, advancing safe berth‑to‑berth navigation.

Working side by side, IHMA and IAPH have delivered a common solution that ends decades of fragmentation and misalignment around port call data, charting a course for safer, more efficient, and more sustainable shipping – underpinned by robust and established IMO, ISO and IHO data standards and endorsed by BIMCO, ICS, Intertanko and Intercargo.

Dual submissions to the IMO FAL 50 this week further build on this landmark agreement by mapping out a path to formalised guidelines on port nautical information, based on existing IMO rules and guidelines.

A new global framework

Produced by the International Association of Ports & Harbors (IAPH) and the International Harbour Masters Association (IHMA), the Guide for Harmonized Communication and Electronic Exchange of Nautical and Operational Data for Port Calls – abbreviated to the Port Call Optimization (PCO) Guide – sets out a step‑by‑step approach for ports and shipping to exchange a minimum, high‑value set of port call data electronically to improve supply chain efficiency, remove wasted time awaiting (or at) berth and ultimately reduce ship emissions.

Endorsed by 40 maritime organisations, including other leading industry NGOs such as IBTA, the Nautical Institute, FONASBA and the World Bank, the Port Call Optimization Guide marks the first time in which a global framework has existed equivalent to the IMO’s own established ship-focused standards on safe navigation from berth to berth.

The intended readers of this guide are harbour masters or equivalents, terminal operators, nautical service providers, IT personnel of the port, policy makers and solution providers.

IMO submissions continue the journey

Submitted at IMO Facilitation Committee (FAL 50) this week, two complementary IMO papers chart a practical, shared course based on this milestone agreement.

Submitted by IAPH and IHMA, FAL 50/INF.4 introduces the Port Call Optimization Guide and defines an initial, minimum set of port call data, aligned with IMO and IHO standards and supported by an international standard for electronic data sharing through the IHO.

This submission directly complements FAL 50/17 (Netherlands et al*), which proposes a new request for output regarding the development of guidelines on port nautical information and which details the full breadth of nautical data required for safe berth‑to‑berth navigation, grounded in existing IMO rules and guidelines.

Tried and tested between the world’s most advanced ports

The Port Call Optimization Guide is not a theoretical manual. Prior to publishing, some of the world’s most advanced ports in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas have successfully trialled port-to-port data exchanges on port calls of both liner container shipping and liquid bulk tanker calls, using the data sets in the guide. This includes the first ever demonstration of port call data exchange, piloted between the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore and the Port of Rotterdam, showcased last year at the IMO FAL 49 in London.

A milestone achievement

“The publication of the Port Call Optimization Guide marks a significant, shared step toward safer, more efficient and predictable berth‑to‑berth navigation,” said International Association of Ports & Harbors (IAPH) Managing Director Patrick Verhoeven. “This guide is the result of long-term industry collaboration, which should translate long‑standing IMO safety ambitions into practical steps inside ports.”

“The International Harbour Masters are proud to have been a part of the PCO initiative since its inception,” said International Harbour Masters Association President Captain Paul O’Regan (Chief Operation Officer Port of Duqm Company S.A.O.C). “The initiative has evolved to align with changes in the maritime arena – however the core principle of transparent, accurate and universal information exchange between all parties remains overall objective to support safe and efficient port management.”
Source: IAPH