From mid-December, commercial vessel operators will have the option to view the current occupancy of berths located in the Amsterdam ports, the company said in its release. The RiverGuide app, a digital route planner for inland vessels, shows berth occupancy based on anonymised AIS data. If a boatmaster clicks on a berth, the total size of the berth is displayed in a frame, including the length and width of each moored vessel.
The berth occupancy displayed in the app assists boatmasters in conducting their journey – it enables them to see if there is sufficient space available to proceed to the terminal and moor there or if they need to use a temporary berth. Vehicle landing points, drinking water discharge points and waste collection points are also shown in the app.
By offering the additional feature of berth occupancy details, we attempt to do an even better job supporting commercial vessel operators using the RiverGuide app in carrying out their journey, thereby further optimising the logistics supply chain. RiverGuide currently has approximately 1,500 users.
In addition to the new feature showing current berth occupancy, a pilot project was launched this week designed to reduce marine radiotelephone traffic. The purpose of the pilot project is to provide boatmasters with up-to-date traffic information electronically and automatically using push notifications. Port of Amsterdam's intention in launching the project is to boost the safety and efficiency of shipping traffic in areas where irregularities might be occurring and where vessel operators are expected to adjust their movements accordingly.