Customers
Malta freeport terminal

Prior to having SPARCS, I couldn't tell you what our moves per hour were. The real-time TOS provides up-to-date information on
events throughout our terminal that helps us measure productivity gains.
— Stephen Calleja, Chief Planner, Malta Freeport

 

In January 1988, Malta Freeport was set up by the Maltese government to develop the port of Marsaxlokk into a commercially viable hub for international trade. Today, Malta Freeport is one of the most sophisticated terminal hubs in the maritime industry, with an established feeder network
that connects Malta Freeport to more than 100 ports in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

Malta Freeport has experienced remarkable growth since its establishment. The most renowned international carriers in the container shipping industry have been attracted by Malta Freeport’s enviable geographical location, proven track record, and state-of-the-art facilities. Malta Freeport is
equipped with the latest in technology and serves many of the giant operators in the maritime industry. Quality is the backbone of Malta Freeport’s terminal operations, as the company firmly believes that improving its dedication to excellence directly affects productivity and costs.

Executives at Malta Freeport believe that quality improvement should be supported with the proper policies, procedures, resources, and technologies. Malta Freeport’s prime objective is to provide secure, reliable, fast and efficient services through the use of technology to maintain customer
confidence in its terminal operations.

Real-time Control is Key to Improving Productivity at Malta Freeport
Stephen Calleja, Chief Planner at Malta Freeport, said productivity was not accurately measured in the past at the Malta Freeport terminal but is definitely measured with the Navis™ SPARCS terminal operating system (TOS).

"Prior to having SPARCS, I couldn’t tell you what our moves per hour were, but I know it wasn’t quite as high nor as consistent like it currently is at 24 moves per hour," Calleja said. “SPARCS provided us with options. The real-time TOS provides up-to-date information on events throughout our terminal that helps us measure productivity gains, track lost time on cranes or in the yard, and react immediately to any exceptions."

The SPARCS TOS provides Malta Freeport with accurate real-time information for planning, managing and tracking container movements throughout the container terminal facilities, Calleja said. The system ensures the real-time management of the entire container handling cycle, enabling better reaction to unplanned surges in demand.

"It has also increased the density of container stacking and reduced the time needed for the turnaround of vessel berthing at Malta Freeport,"’ Calleja said.

Calleja said the highly advanced radio data terminal links enable fast transmission of data and real-time monitoring of operations. Malta Freeport's clients have the ability to access the system online, thus giving them real-time information for the entire container handling cycle.

Software Reduces Vessel Planning and Optimizes Stow Plans
Calleja said the planning system for the vessel and yard integration operations at Malta Freeport was an extremely slow and arduous process before SPARCS vessel planning was implemented.

"Vessel planning helps us see the yard as we are planning," Calleja said. "The ability to transact in a very short time is quite beneficial. The software deals with complexity in a user-friendly way."

Terminal's Throughput Expected to Increase by 33%
Malta Freeport Terminal recently launched a $40 million investment program aimed at raising productivity from 1.46 million TEU in 2004 to 2 million TEU over the next three years, Calleja said. The investment will ensure that Malta Freeport is geared up towards handling the largest container vessels afloat, thus securing a larger share of the Mediterranean transshipment market.

"SPARCS helped us achieve 1.46 million TEU, and now we will rely on it to help us achieve 2 million TEU," Calleja said. "When we planned vessels manually, our team required lots of time and quick thinking. It was a very time consuming process. With SPARCS, we can plan and re-plan the operations more efficiently. We can also see in real-time how the dynamics are changing."

Average Container Vessel Volume Increases nearly 90%
Calleja said "SPARCS has definitely allowed us to increase our volume. We have gone into periods where we were moving our container vessel volume by nearly 90%. Our yard utilization was quite active."

Software Increases Gate Efficiency
Navis Express® works together with SPARCS TOS. Calleja said the Navis products provide the complete terminal solution, making integrated gate-yard and quay-rail automation a reality at Malta Freeport.

"Express provides statistical and billing information related to Malta Freeport's operations as well as the full computerization of the operations at the main gate," Calleja said. "With the implementation of Express, Malta Freeport terminal realized a multitude of benefits, including increased gate productivity and throughput."

SPARCS captures real-time data and Express maximizes every bit of it—tracking the complete history of every cargo movement generated in SPARCS. The automated process enables an exchange of key information, and provides greater visibility of data at the SPARCS planning level.

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