Indra accelerates the digital transformation of Chile’s ports with the implementation of the maritime single window reception module

Indra, one of the world’s leading technology and consultancy companies, has finished its development of the reception module of the Maritime Single Window (hereinafter, VUMAR per its Spanish initials), the electronic platform promoted by Chile’s Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications, which allows for the processes associated with servicing the ships arriving at Chile’s ports to be much more efficient.

VUMAR is a project associated with the Logistical Digital Transformation Department of Chile’s Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications’ Logistic Development Program, along with the “Convention on Facilitation” promoted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). This international agreement seeks to facilitate cross-border trade and make the logistic chains more efficient for the more than 10 million tons of goods which are transported by sea all over the world each year.

The reception module developed by Indra, awarded through a competitive public bid, will enable the various agents and authorities of the port community to interact electronically and the information required will only have to be stated once during the arrival process of the ships at local ports. The system itself automates the workflows and will direct this information to the corresponding bodies to ensure compliance with operating and legal requirements.

The Maritime Single Window will enable the integration of various systems and processes as well as of the entire port community, such as customs, security authorities, shipping companies, terminals, etc. It is therefore easier to obtain the necessary authorizations to generate a ship arrival, making it a collective efficiency tool, given that it will contribute to managing the stopovers and predicting the movement of goods. 

One of the factors currently slowing down sea trade is the physical processing of the large amount of documentation that is requested at ports. These delays result in higher costs for vessel owners. The digitalisation, standardization and interoperability of these documents which will be achieved through VUMAR will accelerate this complex procedure, with the Chilean ports hoping to increase their productivity and competitiveness. 

The VUMAR reception module has been fully developed by now, and it is awaiting the development of the remaining phases (Sicex Dispatch and Integration) to be put into production.

Contribution to Sustainable Development

In addition to the benefits that digitalisation provides to the management of the ports, VUMAR will also contribute to making them more sustainable and environmentally friendly, thanks to - among other benefits - the huge reduction in the paper used in port procedures. 

By way of example, as Chile’s Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications has pointed out, to carry out the reception of the first arrival of a ship coming from an international port, at least 37 documents are required, which are then distributed between the public services and the maritime authority. 

“In general terms, for a port that receives around 25,000 national ship arrivals each year, if these are managed through our Port Logistics System, this represents a saving of more than five tons of paper each year, in each of the ports which has implemented this solution”, explains Marcelo Peñailillo, the sales director for Indra’s Transport market in Chile.

Leader in the digital transformation of ports around the world

The Mova Traffic solution line, which provides the basis of the Port Community System (PCS) solutions implemented by Indra, facilitates the comprehensive and optimal management of the ports, enables the operational processes to be improved and a higher quality service to be offered, as well as a more efficient and sustainable way of using public and private resources and an improvement in the competitiveness of ports, thus contributing to the economic and social development of the port and its community.

More than 70 ports worldwide are managed using Indra’s technology, including the renowned leading Latin-American ports in Chile, Uruguay, Panama and Brazil. The company has implemented its Single Window or Port Community System solutions in countries such as Spain, Cyprus, Portugal, Morocco, Angola and Cape Verde. In Uruguay, Indra’s technology controls the entering of goods through customs at the port of Montevideo.

Indra has been one of the leading technology suppliers in the Panama Canal expansion and it has modernized the Panama Maritime Authority’s information management systems. 

In Chile, it has carried out the digital transformation of the Valparaíso Port, achieving significant efficiency improvements and reducing its costs. The technology developed by Indra has made it possible to reduce the waiting times for cargo trucks which have to move around the site by 70%, enabling movement to be better controlled and safer, both within the facilities and on the trajectory to the port. In addition to this, the port has improved its productivity by 17% and has achieved an annual estimated saving in transport costs of USD 60 million.

In the field of Defense and Security, Indra has equipped Southampton Port, one of the main ports in the United Kingdom and the world, with its management systems for maritime traffic, which are also used by ports in Brazil and Poland. It is a pioneer in the deployment of the surveillance systems that control the movements of vessels along the coasts of countries such as Spain, Portugal, Poland and Hong Kong.

About Indra

Indra (www.indracompany.com) is one of the leading global technology and consulting companies and the technological partner for core business operations of its customers world-wide. It is a world-leader in providing proprietary solutions in specific segments in Transport and Defence markets, and a leading firm in Digital Transformation Consultancy and Information Technologies in Spain and Latin America through its affiliate Minsait. Its business model is based on a comprehensive range of proprietary products, with a high-value focus and with a high innovation component. In the 2019 financial year, Indra achieved revenue of €3,204 billion, with more than 49,000 employees, a local presence in 46 countries and business operations in over 140 countries.