PortSource™

The Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor complex has been experiencing double-digit growth in recent years. Yet, information on harbor operations was available only from widely dispersed sources. The Harbor Marine Exchange—an organization that provides vessel traffic-management and maritime information services for the local maritime business community—realized that port stakeholders needed a consolidated, easily accessible information source that would enable them to quickly obtain the up-to-date information they needed to do their jobs.

The Marine Exchange had already used ARINC to develop a transponder system for maritime vessels known as the Automated Identification System (AIS). And, the Long Beach Harbor Pilots (Jacobsen Pilot Service) had used ARINC to develop PilotMate^®, a solution that accurately tracks vessel movement. So, the Marine Exchange called on ARINC again to meet this new challenge.

The result: ARINC PortSource™—the single operating-information web site for the Los Angeles/Long Beach maritime industry, waterfront business community, various state, local and federal government agencies, and other interested parties.

PortSource offers much more than just vessel reporting. It's a one-stop, interactive web site for accessing unbiased, current, Los Angeles/Long Beach maritime information of all types. This includes data on weather and hydrographic conditions, traffic information (ship, rail, and truck), and berth descriptions and availability. The system will also serve as a sophisticated vessel planning and scheduling system. When fully implemented, it will provide live web cameras at various inner harbor and roadway locations; links to all major shipping lines, port authorities, service providers, and ground transportation; and interactive connectivity to pilots, tugs, line handlers, U.S. Coast Guard, and others.

This common-information portal can be used by any entity involved in the port's maritime operations: the port authorities, shipping companies and agents, ship chandlers, truck companies, contract stevedores, terminal operating companies, lines handlers, pilot services, tug companies, vessel tracking system (VTS) operators, arriving/departing vessels, and government agencies. Now, these stakeholders no longer have to visit multiple web sites to obtain the information they need to make up-to-date operational decisions.