While benefits obtained from just-in-time implementation are clear, conservatism currently prevails in the sector – the shipping industry is still adapting to the digital age. In order to make just-in-time (JIT) arrivals feasible worldwide, certain challenges will need to be overcome:
- Exact arrival times are seen in some cases as business-critical information, or even a competitive advantage;
- Operating economics and contractual agreements encourage early arrivals at berth. If multiple vessels try to get the same berthing slot in a first-come-first-served slot allocation, there is systemic waste;
- Negative consequences of missing the port slot. Missing the slot could mean delays in uploading next cargo onboard;
- Vessels can be used as storage space to optimise revenues according to spot prices.
JIT arrivals are not able to solve vessel traffic related inefficiencies in case of price speculation, or the use of vessels for storage. A proper calculation of the financial trade-offs should be made for each scenario. - Concerns over cyber security with Navi-Port solutions.
Wärtsilä’s Navi-Port solution has received approval in principle from Bureau Veritas for meeting the classification society’s cyber security requirements. Just-in-time arrivals enable more efficient planning of port and terminal operations.
