HVCC Hamburg Vessel Coordination Center, Wärtsilä and Carnival are collaborating in a digitalisation project, to ensure reliable ship arrivals, more efficient ship handling and port logistics, as well as reduced fuel consumption and emissions.
HVCC Hamburg Vessel Coordination Center has been optimising vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Hamburg for more than ten years. during 2019, HVCC coordinated the arrival of over 3,200 mega-ships in the Port of Hamburg. As part of this passage planning, HVCC determines the ideal arrival time for a ship as it approaches the Elbe.
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Alongside Wärtsilä and Carnival, HVCC has now further developed its passage planning and tested a digital solution for just-in-time ship calls. For the first time the direct, real-time data exchange under real-world conditions between port and ship was realized, aiming to facilitate a dynamically optimised Hamburg approach.
The first live tests were conducted on the M/S “AIDAperla” and M/S “AIDAsol”. During these tests, the data shared between HVCC and Carnival Maritime’s Fleet Operation Center in Hamburg was fed directly into the cruise ships’ electronic nautical chart (ECDIS) via the Navi-Port digital platform developed by Wärtsilä.
The real-time data exchange improves coordination and allows for automatic modifications to a ship’s course and speed should conditions at port change during a voyage. The project is also being supported by the classification society Bureau Veritas to ensure that cyber-security requirements are met.
After the tests in the cruise segment, there are now plans to expand into cargo shipping. Talks have already been held with container shipping companies.
