Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. today announced that J-CARPS, a system developed by the Japan Cargo Tally Corporation with the full cooperation of MOL, was released in April, and MOL started operation of the system within the same month, according to the company's release.
Generally, around 6,000 to 7,000 units are loaded onto a car carrier. The loading process is as follows: J.C.T.C checks (counts) where and how many cars are loaded onboard the vessel at each port in Japan, and shipping companies uses the results to prepare a cargo loading plan for the next port.
While it was customary for the shipping companies, and J.C.T.C, which counts the number of cargo units, to input information into separate systems for each company and share information via email, MOL proposed that all parties use a unified system database to improve efficiency. This led to the development of this system. Furthermore, this system has a "file attachment function" and a "simple message sending function," so that everyone involved, including shipping company, stevedore company and J.C.T.C, will be able to check the latest loading plan and performance data from this system at any time, and also use the system to communicate with each other.
In addition, shipping companies had to transcribe the diagram data of loading results received in the format of J.C.T. C's system to its own system. Use of different systems and databases by J.C.T.C and shipping companies made it difficult to determine the exact number of units that could be added. However, unifying the databases of performance data will eliminate that problem and allow more vehicles to be loaded.
This new system and consolidation of databases will contribute not only to operational efficiency in the car carrier industry, but also to an increase in loading capacity, given the current shortage of such vessels.