e-Maritime & Logistics Optimization

eMAR: Maritime Logistics Optimization

The European Commission's e-Maritime initiative reduces the administrative burden for shipping operations by implementing a standardised electronic reporting mechanism which does away with almost all the current form-filling.

The eMAR project is a consortium of industry, government, technical and research organisations which has applied the e-maritime approach to real-world situations in the maritime logistics industry, delivering massive operational benefits.

Real-time Logistics Optimization

A major benefit of the eMAR automated data exchange is the ability to make huge efficiency gains across the entire logistics operation.

Estimated savings run into millions of euros for large organisations, easily paying for the investment in the advanced technology required.

Currently most operations have a high degree of manual planning, primarily due to two main factors: poor availability of vital information and outdated, limited planning systems that lack the power to tackle complex operations.

MJC² has developed a ground-breaking solution that integrates the planning of the entire maritime logistics operation in a coordinated, integrated way, including port operations, hauliers, rail movements, container depots, repositioning movements and shipping capacity.

The eMAR Optimization System (EOS) plans port operations, hauliers, rail movements, container depots, repositioning movements and shipping capacity, taking into account the real-world operational rules and constraints that have to be considered if a useful output is to be achieved.

Dynamic Port Scheduling

Using the real-time data available via the eMAR platform, the EOS system enables the port and hinterland operations to be optimized:

• Faster turnround time for ships - optimized port planning minimises wasted time in terminals and ensures that capacity on routes is well-utilised for freight or empty repositioning.
• Empty container repositioning movements are scheduled to make use of expected ship capacity, and corresponding hinterland activity is planned to integrate with freight operations while minimising congestion in the terminal.
• Resource planning and optimized allocation of consignment movements to transport operators and haulage companies minimises wasted journeys and empty running.
• Dock scheduling and terminal planning is driven by real-time visibility of the entire multimodal logistics operation.

Strategic Optimization

The EOS system includes a flexible and intuitive graphical user interface that enables the user to visualise the operation.

Interactive maps, gantt charts, histograms and reports are used to display information such as planned routes/corridors, resource allocation, container inventory levels, port activity and current/expected schedule of ships in the terminal.

The strategic optimization system allows the user to undertake tactical and strategic analysis of the operation. Based on the enhanced data provided by the eMAR platform the planner can overlay alternative scenarios and assess their impact.

For example the impact of changing schedules or availability of resources on the overall efficiency of the operation can be estimated.

The EOS includes archiving and data management tools which allow the user to make such changes and build up a library of scenarios that can be used for future operational planning.