Softship has launched the industry’s first cloud-based, comprehensive solution, tailored to suit the needs of port agents.
The technology, termed as the Softship Advanced Port Agency Solution (SAPAS), is a pay-as-you-go tool that is instrumental in controlling all port agency and husbandry activities online as a single solution.
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Softship executive director Thomas Wolff stated that the tool is convenient to use and will require no training or installation of software.
He also stated that utilising the technology will not incur any upfront cost.
Wolff said: "Port agents provide the critical link between the charterer or owner and the port. They arrange port services, crew changes, manage port expenses and much more besides.
"Most agents are small companies who run their businesses on phone calls, spreadsheets and notebooks. SAPAS allows the agent to structure and control all this information and to manage efficiently the wide range of activities required when a ship makes a port call.
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By GlobalData"Importantly, SAPAS is available from any internet connected PC or tablet, making it completely portable for agents who are often on the move."
SAPAS can be leveraged upon on a range of functions, including managing the master data, which is a user-defined data domain to store and retrieve information to attend ships in port.
The solution looks over the tariff management by storing related information and calculating accurate costs.
SAPAS projects the professional cost estimate generated by the port agents by combining the vessel information with the cost incurred on services like pilotage, berthing and bunkering to work out the cost of a port call.
It manages all the activities when a ship calls into the port, which include creating a checklist, a statement of facts, and a disbursement account to be presented following the departure of the vessel from the port.
