Partners discuss project to digitalise port operations |15 July 2023
Dr Moustache addressing the gathering yesterday (Photo: Louis Toussaint)
By Sunny Esparon
The Seychelles Ports Authority had an open discussion with its stakeholders to address one the authority’s major projects – the Port Victoria Management Information System (PVMIS) – which is a project to digitalise its port operations.
The stakeholders had a chance to address the SPA’s deputy chief executive, Dr Egbert Moustache, at the STC conference room yesterday morning to raise some of their concerns.
The PVMIS project was officially launched on March 27, 2023, and is moving progressively. The system is expected to be in operations in October, coinciding with the commercial port's 50th anniversary.
The project is a pivotal milestone not only for SPA, but it will allow all authorities and agencies to exchange data by a single point of contact being the Maritime Single Window. This will become a mandatory requirement as from January 2024 to comply with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Convention for Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic known as the FAL Convention.
Dr Moustache explained the nature of the PVMIS, stating the module will allow it to be “faster and more efficient to get information of vessel arrivals, including both cargo and passenger ones. These will be forwarded to an agent and put into the system that will be accessible to all stakeholders such as ANB and immigration”. They, in turn, will be able to check if the vessel needs to be checked or flagged.
The vessels would also be able to use the system to request for specific services such as tugging.
“It is a communicative platform where information will be shared and people will retrieve what is appropriate for their activity,” he stated.
There is also a second part to the project which is part of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) compliance. All international ports must be compliant with this and they must have a basic platform to share information.
“Otherwise we will go to a country like Mauritius for example and they will have their own forms and a whole different procedure. So to prevent these complications, this is to facilitate the berthing, entering and departure of ships,” explained Dr Moustache.
In his presentation, Dr Moustache explained the component of the PVMIS which is broken down into two sections.
The first section is the Administration Management Information System which entails an inventory system, a procurement system, accounting system among many others.
The second section, the Community System for Port Operations Management Information System, which will provide a web-based solution, designed for real-time planning and management of port operations, executes full control of core port authorities such as vessel traffic management, vessel calls and cargo tracking and handling operations. It also supports related port/marine business tasks.
Yesterday’s meeting also discussed the setting up of a stakeholders’ committee with the aim of better supporting each other and to work in a more systematic manner. Each organisation present will nominate a person to sit on the committee.
