Marine Department, Hong Kong SAR - HKU Libraries - The ...

port services
CargoNet's PortNet initiative allows port users access to an extensive
information network increasing efficiency and helping to maintain
Hong Kong's premier port status.
the sphere of services in order to
maintain its lead.
A new port community network
operated by CargoNet -
Transportation Community Network
Ltd - is providing Hong Kong's ocean
shipping industry with a powerful
new tool to keep the shipments
flowing. CargoNet's PortNet project
— which is backed by a consortium
representing local and international
transport and IT interests — became
fully operational in May 1998.
PortNet was one of the first, and a
significant piece, of CargoNet's
unique suite of applications which
applies a shared real time
information network to the task of
transacting international trade.
Global IT services giant EDS — one
of CargoNet's major backers —
plans to use Hong Kong's
PortNet as the model for similar
developments in other major
global trading centres.
According to Ian Craig, Chief
Executive of CargoNet, PortNet uses
intelligent network technology to
enable much of the workflow
involved in the trade process to
take place in parallel, rather than
through the traditional multi-stage,
paper-based process.
"From the outset our concept was
to speed up the trade cycle by
introducing the ability for trade
information to be routed to multiple
parties at the same time/' said Mr
Craig. 'Through PortNet, the
information needed by the different
players in the trade process is
delivered as soon as it is generated
by whoever 'owns' that particular
piece of information. The level of
control inherent in the realtime
technology we're employing means
everyone gets the information they
need to do their job — nothing
more and nothing less."
PortNet employs standard Internet
technologies and marries them to a
more sophisticated real time
information transport mechanism.
The result is a real time
e-commerce extranet in which core
infrastructure is shared between
PortNet members with different
applications, and interfaces are
provided to meet specific sector
and company requirements.
The concept of a realtime
electronic commerce extranet has
been under development by
CargoNet since 1996, with much
of the detailed planning for PortNet
taking place during a six-month
analysis of information workflow
at Hongkong International
Terminals (HIT), another major
CargoNet backer.
HIT puts a lot of emphasis on
information infrastructure in its
strategy of continuously increasing
efficiency to maintain Hong Kong's
position as the region's hub for
container transport. PortNet plays a
key role in the strategy by enabling
terminal operators to add value by
acting as information hubs and
help the ocean shipping industry
as a whole to become more
customer-focused.
The first phase of PortNet was
rolled out in December 1997 with
support for real time information
links between terminal operators
and shipping lines, among which
K-Lines and Maersk were among
the first to sign up for the new
service. Phase two, which extended
PortNet to include freight
forwarders such as Cargo Services,
Calberson and Kuehne & Nagel,
went live in March 1998.
Network applications to support
shippers — along with links to
government agencies such as
Customs and Excise and other
business partners — were delivered
in May 1998, establishing PortNet
as a complete community system for
the Port of Hong Kong.
According to Mr Craig, CargoNet
will continue to expand the scope of
the network to bring in other parties
in the trade and transport cycle such
as marine insurers and banks that
are active in the Hong Kong trade
finance market.
"We anticipate having all the
important players in the ocean
industry participating in PortNet
by the end of 1998. As the
number of real time participants
in the community network
expands, the value of the whole
i
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