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Welcome
Welcome to our second newsletter which brings you up-to-date with
project developments and progress. Shortsea XML is an EU
Marco Polo funded project working across the door-to-door
logistics chain. Its aim is to develop a series of standardised
forms to reduce the financial and administrative overhead of distributing
core information. The forms will cover the mainstay processes
of scheduling, booking, operations and invoicing as well as statutory
reporting to shore authorities. Implementing the standardised
messages will be inexpensive and will:
- simplify
and streamline administrative processes
- make
it easier for all parties to meet the reporting requirements
of the authorities
- reduce
administrative errors
- improve
transparency
- improve
customer service
- save
man hours and free-up staff
- improve
vessel and equipment utilisation
Update
from the project leader
 Eight
months into the project and I am pleased to report that we continue
to operate in line with the established project plan. We have
created workgroups for promotion and technical activities and
plan to establish an implementation workgroup over the summer.
The project’s advisory board is now active and met for the second
time earlier this month. We are also liaising closely with other
related projects and industry organisations who are all keen to
work alongside us.
The
standardisation group (comprising members from the Port
of Bilbao, Via
Michelin, SMDG,
Softship,
Colorline,
Seagha
and Sea-Cargo)
is working on the documentation covering bookings and operations
and this should be ready towards the end of this month. The full
documentation, including schemas for those processes, will be
published on our website (www.shortseaxml.org)
during August. The participation we are getting from shippers
and lines is greatly appreciated and vital to the development
of relevant and useable common standards.
If
you would like further information about this project, or would
like to participate, then feel free to contact me at at management@shortseaxml.org
Mariann
Sundvor - Project Leader
News from the Advisory Board
The Shortsea XML advisory board had its second meeting in the
Port of Rotterdam on 7th June. The focus of the discussion centred
on the progress made on the standardisation work, the promotional
activities and implementation efforts as well as the key success
and risk factors for the project. It was agreed that implementation
cases should have a central focus over the next few months. The
importance of flexible interplay with EDIFACT solutions – such
as through translation hubs - was emphasized. A representative
of the Marnis project presented their preliminary conclusions
to the board and also gave their full support to the project.
The Shortsea XML advisory board comprises:
| Mark
Trundle - Kingfisher Group |
Joyce
Bliek - Port of Rotterdam |
| Dirk
Van den Bosch - Samskip |
Simon
Spoormaker - SMDG |
| Arild
Haraldsen - NorStella |
John
Erik Hagen - Norwegian Coastal Directive |
| Heiner
Rogge - European Transport Logistics Institute |
Herbert
Frick - Softship |
Implementation update
We are currently in the process of establishing a number of implementation
cases for Shortsea XML. The intention is to provide proof of concept
and to demonstrate a real reduction in administrative costs and
an improvement in customer service. This will, we anticipate,
make shortsea shipping a more competitive transport mode. We are
supporting the core processes of booking, operations, scheduling
and invoicing and plan to involve shippers, forwarders, lines,
agents and terminals in the implementation cases.
Our
first implementation case involves Sea-Cargo,
a Norwegian shipping line which will integrate their processes
with VCK, a forwarder
and terminal operator in Amsterdam. VCK will receive electronic
cargo manifests from Sea-Cargo for inbound shipments and will
submit bookings and booking updates to Sea-Cargo for outbound
shipments. Sea-Cargo will send and update loading and discharge
lists to VCK and provide transport orders to VCK for pre-/on-carriage.
Softship, a major provider of liner and agent applications, will
be responsible for the integration work within Sea-Cargo.
It
is anticipated that, through the use of Shortsea XML, both Sea-Cargo
and VCK will significantly reduce re-typing of data and administrator
errors. In addition, the information held by both parties should
be more up-to-date allowing improved customer response times.
All those participating in our series of implementation cases
will receive guidance, assistance and financial support from the
project. We expect to confirm more implementation cases over the
coming months and if you would like to participate, please feel
free to contact us.
Hans
Kristian Haram - Technical Director
Promotion
update
In April we arranged a workshop for the participating Shortsea
Promotion Centres (SPCs) during which a comprehensive communications
plan was created. Representatives from the Commission joined us
for part of the workshop emphasising the project’s close ties
with SafeSeaNet. We were also represented at the annual gathering
of all SPCs under the umbrella of the European Shortsea Network
at their meeting in Bonn last month. This gave us the opportunity
to update members on our progress and also to encourage their
commitment to help promote the project to their own national networks.
Many
European manufacturing and transport industries are organised
at a European level typically having national member organisations
as their members. We have established and are maintaining a regular
dialogue with a number of these organisations including the ESC
- European Shippers Council, CLECAT - European organisation for
forwarding, transport, logistic and custom services, ECSA - European
Community Shipowners Association, ESPO - European Sea Ports Organisation,
Brussels, FEPORT – Federation of European Private Port Operators,
INE - Inland Navigation Europe, IRU - The International Road Transport
Union and UIC - Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer, Paris.
Through a continuing relationship with these organisations we
expect to reach shippers and transport companies across Europe.
 We
are also taking the project to various relevant conferences and
seminars. We presented to Logistik & Transport in Göteborg last
month and have been invited to speak at the Coastlink shortsea
conference later this month.
In
addition to these more direct activities, we have also embarked
upon a less direct promotional campaign involving the international
media. You might have seen the major article about the project
in a recent edition of the Tradewinds newspaper. Further articles
are planned with mainstream shipping and logistics publications
later this year.
Per
Bruun-Lie - Promotions Director
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