Through its new digital queuing system Time Slot Gävle, the Swedish seaport is abandoning the 'first come-first served' scheme for vessels calling to one of its energy harbour's seven terminals.

From February 2023, vessels can apply for queue slots in the Port Activity App, which verifies the scheduled times with automatic ship positioning data. "With the app, we optimised the vessels' turn-around in the port area. The cool thing about Time Slot Gävle is that we can influence the entire journey to the port from, for example Netherlands, Poland, or the Swedish west coast. We make it possible for all vessels on their way here to choose eco-driving," Niklas Hermansson, Head of Traffic and Safety at the Port of Gävle, highlighted.

Claes Möller, CEO at Tärntank Ship Management and one of the companies initiating Time Slot Gävle, also underscored, "We already use slow-steaming between Preem's own terminals. Through the Time Slot project, we can also reduce emissions when traveling to ports with quays shared between several terminals. It enables great environmental benefits!"

Since 2017, the Port of Gävle and its partners have been working on making vessel calls more efficient and sustainable. This work has led to one of the first mobile apps for real-time data exchange between organisations that collaborate around vessel calls.

The Port Activity App was developed with the Swedish Maritime Administration, the Port of Rauma, Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, and the Finnish Transport Agency. The app has now been used for almost two years by the actors in the Port of Gävle.

Time Slot Gävle is a continuation of that work, with the Swedish seaport developing the vessel queuing system for over three years in close cooperation with the port's seven energy terminals, with the support of the Swedish Energy Agency, and in partnership with Tärntank Ship Management, Preem and the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute.

Linda Astner, the port's Head of Sustainability, summed up, "We hope to inspire more ports to introduce similar systems. Shipping is a good example of how important it is that we work with interfaces between organisations and system connections. Everyone wants to change, but we need to work together to remove the obstacles. We have learned a lot through the cooperation within Time Slot Gävle. Together, we have also come a small step closer to our shared climate goals."

Photo: Port of Gävle