Last week the PortVision team was very busy participating in two significant events. We exhibited and spoke for the first time at the  International Liquid Terminals Association (ILTA) conference as well as hosted our second TerminalSmart Lunch & Learn session in downtown Houston. 

The PortVision Dashboard provides many features for managing your fleets and terminals within a single, interactive location.  However, what many users don’t realize is that they can also customize a personal menu of “Reports and Links” right from their dashboard. 

Once the starting volume is recorded, the oil is transferred to other storage tanks via a meter.  This meter also provides an unbiased measurement of the oil volume once ashore.  These are called shore measurements.

How does a vessel get selected for a specific cargo job?  Typically the cargo owner uses many tools to evaluate the vessel's history, safety record, and configuration. 

PortVision will be speaking and exhibiting at the International Liquid Terminals Association Conference in Houston. TX. Come by our booth (#1042) and say hello with this free pass to the exhibit hall.

There are many factors that make up the overall cost to transport petroleum between marine terminals.  These factors are dynamic and diverse.  For this reason, traders frequently rely on anecdotal per-barrel costs to base trading decisions on.  If the community believes the average cost per barrel to transport naphtha by barge between a public terminal and the refinery is 98 cents a barrel, that is what the cost of transportation becomes for any near-term trades.  What if there was a capital project along the barge's route that consistently increased travel time?  What if the public terminal had an extended dock outage?  The cost of transportation would almost certainly go up.  The challenge is to provide accurate and current information to the traders to facilitate profitable trades.

By US Presidential decree, every May 22 is designated National Maritime Day.  On this day we appreciate the role that our Merchant Marine plays in supporting our Country’s economic and security needs, and honor merchant mariners for their dedication to this cause.   So please take a moment to appreciate all who have helped our maritime industry grow and thrive, and who’s dedication has improved the lives of all. 

The ILTA trade show brings the world to Houston. Companies from around the globe will offer new insights into what the future holds for the terminal industry. This year’s show includes more than 300 companies displaying thousands of new ways to improve terminal operations.

Many PortVision users create alerts which are triggered when a specific vessel of interest arrives, departs, or passes a specific terminal or point of interest.  However, did you know that it is possible to create e-mail alerts based on a selected Terminal, rather than a vessel?  For example, if you wanted to know every time that ANY vessel arrived or departed at a specific dock, terminal, or point of interest, simply follow these steps…

Tug and Ferry operations management requires a smooth and consistent information flow between a company’s moving boats and shoreside offices.   Crew members are often the company’s first point of entry for incoming data.    Timing associated with activities such as “underway”, “at the dock”, “job start”, and “job end” are all important to allow the company to accurately pay crewmembers, invoice customers, and meet defined scheduling parameters.  In many ways this dataflow is the lifeblood of the company. Why then, are companies reluctant to move away from traditional paper logs and timesheets?  Could it be the perception that current regulations will not allow relevant information to be recorded electronically?   Perhaps there is a long-time culture that creates a perceived resistance to change.  Whatever the reason, times are changing.