A Glimpse of 70 Ports Worldwide... KOTRA Publishes Report

'Global Congestion Status of 70 Ports in Numbers'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] KOTRA has decided to provide export companies with a monthly report detailing the congestion status of overseas ports in numerical form starting from the 21st. They have partnered with a startup specializing in AI and big data-based maritime transport information solutions. This initiative aims to help export companies accurately understand the congestion situation at destination ports and make rational shipping logistics plans amid increasing delays in vessel transportation.

The report provided by KOTRA, titled "Congestion Status of 70 Ports Worldwide in Numbers," contains detailed monthly data on the weekly average number of waiting vessels, vessel waiting days, expected vessel arrivals, working vessels, and vessel working days for 70 ports worldwide. It covers 10 ports each in the US and China, including Long Beach, Houston, Shanghai, and Ningbo, as well as 50 major ports in countries such as the Netherlands, Malaysia, Belgium, Chile, and Kenya, allowing users to monitor congestion on a weekly basis and anticipate future trends.

If the data for a destination port shows abnormal signs, cargo can be redirected to other ports to prevent delays in cargo arrival. For example, in April, when export company K faced container immobilization off the coast of Shanghai due to COVID-19 lockdowns, they used this data to transport export cargo to nearby ports with less congestion, meeting their delivery deadlines.

The startup S, which provides the data, analyzes correlations among weather, seasons, and port congestion based on maritime big data such as Automatic Identification System (AIS) records and over 10 years of collected vessel location data, producing data through machine learning algorithms.

Meanwhile, since April, KOTRA has also been offering a service in collaboration with a logistics information platform company that allows real-time tracking of maritime export cargo locations. So far, 78 companies are using this service, and the number of uses is expected to reach 1,000 this year.

Kim Yuntae, head of KOTRA’s Small and Medium Enterprises Division, said, "Accurate diagnosis and prediction of logistics situations are essential conditions for securing export stability," adding, "We will strive further to provide overseas logistics information with high data visibility."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.