Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) published interface standards and messaging API (application programming interface) specifications for all 50 event timestamps defined in its port call data definitions.
All API definitions are available to download for free from SwaggerHub, and reference implementations are posted to GitHub.
These standards address the 6 main parts of a port call:
- Berth arrival planning
- Pilot boarding place arrival and service planning
- Pilot boarding place and berth arrival execution
- Start cargo operations and services
- Services and port departure planning
- Port departure execution
The interface standards allow carriers, ports, terminals and other service providers involved in a port call to exchange event data in a uniform way, enabling automated data exchange.
DCSA standards aim to enable container ships to optimise their steaming speed, thus lowering fuel consumption and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
DCSA also collaborated with ITPCO and IMO to align port call data definitions to existing standards. The standards are being tested by carriers, ports and terminal operators at multiple ports around the world.
Achieving just-in-time port calls requires accurate, real-time communication between carriers, ports and terminals
said Phanthian Zuesongdham, Head of Division Port Process Solution of Hamburg Port Authority, adding that DCSA digital standards are key to enabling this level of communication on a global scale.
Furthermore, customers of shipping services want visibility and predictability, explains Thomas Bagge, CEO of DCSA. That is why “having a complete set of standards for port calls is an important step towards improving the efficiency and accuracy of data exchange between all parties.”
By adopting DCSA standards for Just-in-Time Port Calls, Operational Vessel Schedules and Track & Trace, the industry will see an emerging digital ecosystem where these activities turn into collaborative, data-driven, digital processes.
These standards come after the 2020 publication of DCSA Standards for Operational Vessel Schedules, which enable automatic sharing of schedule information between vessel operators and their partners.
