IMO: Guidelines for Harmonized Communication and Electronic Exchange of Operational Data for Port Calls

The International Maritime Organization published a circular with the Guidelines for Harmonized Communication and Electronic Exchange of Operational Data for Port Calls.

This circular was published on March 31st, 2023.

The Facilitation Committee, at its forty-seventh session (13 to 17 March 2023), approved the annexed Guidelines for harmonized communication and electronic exchange of operational data for port calls.

Member States and international organizations are invited to bring the Guidelines to the attention of all parties concerned.

Member States and international organizations are also invited to bring to the attention of the Committee, at the earliest opportunity, the results of the experience gained from the use of the Guidelines for consideration of action to be taken.

These guidelines are intended to provide guidance to the implementation of an electronic and, automated exchange of operational data between a ship and a port.

As part of this guidance, the guidelines will also provide definitions of the general port and ship-related parties.

These guidelines will make references to the IMO Compendium, IMO Reference Data Model, and other specifications where relevant but will not specify any specific protocol or information exchange standard.

To facilitate a uniform way for implementation of, for example, the Just In Time (JIT) from port to port, this document can be used as a port-agnostic implementation guide, on which local processes and circumstances can be developed.

These guidelines are port and trade-agnostic. The benefits of Just In Time Arrival concepts are not limited to only the shipping industry, in particular to vessel traffic service centers, to ensure safe and efficient traffic flows, but will also assist the port industry to better plan and organize port operations, and eventually the complete logistic chain.

These guidelines encompass international standards1 that are non-technical only: data element definitions are based on the IMO Compendium and a logical diagram for the port call process.

The relevant technical standards (API specifications, technical and business
performance requirements) are in the process of being developed within ISO TC 8.

With the definition of a logical information exchange diagram, the guidelines can be implemented on a variety of platforms and protocols to support different types and sizes of ships and ports.

The logical parties involved are defined in a way recognizing that any party can be represented by different organizations or persons and that one person or organization can represent several parties.

These guidelines contain definitions of the different work processes or events related to a ship's port call and its planning. This includes at what times electronic messages need to be exchanged and between which parties.

The definition of information requirements related to the different work processes is decoupled from the electronic messages, as information exchanges may not contain this information if the information is already available for the relevant party.

These guidelines contain reference to relevant data standards, including sections in the IMO Compendium.

These guidelines contain other information processes related to port calls, as well as other requirements related to the implementation of these guidelines.

For more information, please see the document below (available only to subscribers):

Guidelines for Harmonized Communication and Electronic Exchange of Operational Data for Port Calls

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