Joanna James
Facilitating 90% of the world’s trade, the container industry is the linchpin of the global economy, revolutionizing the speed, safety, transparency, and efficiency of freight distribution. Here are some risk factors and the best ways of ensuring operational excellence in port terminals
With the prosperity of the world’s economies hinging on the integrity, efficiency, and security of cargo shipping, it’s quintessential that there are stringent safeguards in place to ensure that the precious cargo is handled according to international safety and quality standards and arrives in optimal time without being damaged, detoured, or hindered at the borders. A major risk that needs to be averted is ships colliding with the berth or crane, which needs to be mitigated by well-designed terminal infrastructure and tech-infused integration, automation, and coordination between the ship and port terminal operators.
Of the myriad of procedures and precautions imperative to making sure that cargo is handled in a secure and quality-assured manner is ensuring that container loading and unloading procedures are completely or semi-automated to minimize turnaround times, boost the safety of the goods, and create safer and more organized working conditions. For instance, the extremely time-consuming and labour-intensive procedure of unloading heavy carton boxes and jute bags often leads to acute injuries caused by the physical strain of manually lifting and handling goods. Therefore, foremost global terminal operators, the likes of South Asia Gateway Terminals, adopt innovative, hi-tech automated logistics solutions and cutting-edge container handling systems to eliminate the numerous hazards of manually loading and unloading containers.
Increasingly dependent upon as the backbone of international commerce, the heightened demand faced by the shipping industry places added pressure on container terminal operators for optimal service, capacity, and timeliness while also adopting cost-effective and eco-friendly means. As many risks to container terminal safety and efficiency, such as stack collisions of yard cranes and overturns of straddle carriers, are due to human error, port terminal automation is becoming increasingly vital. According to Identec Solutions, one-third of terminal operators view automation as the means to boost productivity by 50% and one-fifth believe it will cut operational costs by over 50%. At the very least, inter-modality between physical and soft infrastructure (the workforce) is essential to smoothly streamline the speedy movement of cargoes within gateway ports.
While tailor-made technologies and data-driven decision-making are essential to hit advanced performance targets for container terminals, it’s also important to upgrade both physical and system security as the increased reliance upon technology-induced automation comes with its own set of risks. For instance, targeted hacking and ‘insider’ thefts that can compromise the integrity, availability, and confidentiality of critical information need to be avoided at all costs; therefore, advanced risk management solutions involving third-party IT suppliers must be set in motion.
It is also imperative for container terminal operators to take the necessary steps to assess the environmental impact and manage port operations accordingly, whether it’s the pollution of coastal environs, inefficient disposal of contaminated materials, or other environmental and community ramifications. While harnessing green technology and collaborating with suppliers to endorse innovative sustainable solutions and ethical practices is essential, provisions must also be taken against natural hazards via Position Detection Systems (PDS) and other sensor-rich mechanisms.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
