Panama Canal to Implement New System

The Panama Canal has announced that in response to growing traffic, it will launch a new vessel scheduling and maritime resources management system to further optimising costs, improve safety and increase the overall efficiency and reliability.

News ID: 73047

Date: 22 March 2017 - 12:22

According to MANA, with that new system of planning and scheduling transit operations, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) will be able, for the first time, to execute a completely integrated operating plan for all of its critical resources, including tugboats, pilots and line handlers. The new system, by improving situational awareness with more accurate data, will allow for better decision-making, which will in turn help mitigate operational risk. Further, the system will help reduce costs by optimising resource allocation.
Following the successful opening of the expansion last year, the canal has experienced a surge in cargo and the number of transits by larger neo-panamax vessels and set several monthly tonnage records already. At times, the canal has needed to allocate more resources to guarantee high performance and safety standards amid the influx in activity.
Once implemented, the new system will enable the canal to more efficiently manage this greater demand and capacity.
The new system will be fully integrated into canal operations over the course of the next two years, with the module responsible for managing the canal’s vessel scheduling expected to be operational by the end of the fiscal year in September 2017.