The new software for ships and ports
Nova Systems present the new software for ships and ports
Nova Systems’ latest innovations make the loading and unloading of ships and transhipment operations, much simpler and faster. “Our ‘shipping agency’ module enables users to issue policies, taxes, freight accounts and ali of the manifests laid down, depending on the agency’s operations. ‘BeOne’ simultaneously also allows clients to analyse costs and revenues per individuai journey of a ship as well as per company, dossier or policy, and handle these costs and takings with regard to the management of the disbursement account,” as Nova Systems’ chief software architect Riccardo Tarocco explained.
Port agents
One part of the module was designed with the specific requirements of port agents in mind, who are concerned with managing the docking of a ship in port and discharging the goods. BeOne enables the management of the ship and disbursement accounts, that is, calculates what is paid in advance by a port agent on behalf of a shipowner. “These costs can be calculated in advance through the appropriate tariffs, as forecast costs, and subsequently entered in the supplier’s invoice once it arrives. On the closure of the disbursement account, an invoice can be generated by tl1e port agent to the shipowner for the balance concerning activities carried out. Al! of these procedures,” Tarocco elaborates, “are integrated with theaccounting module, ‘BeOne e-invoice’, which looks after management contro! and customs clearance activities.” Port agents thus have complete contro! over the management of the quantity of containers handJed, the boxes’ destinations A clear view of and the clients concerned, as ali operations. well as an analyses of operational data, through special, dedicated and configurable dashboards. Nova software architect adds that “the module ‘BeOne Analytics’ enables the data to be extrapolated directly from analytics accounting. Users can also obtain data concerning the profitability of a shipment, for example. The new module interacts directly with the file, taking the data from the shipping agency module and automatically filling in the customs bili of entry and returning the customs documents generateci by the bili of entry.” In future Nova will also offer integration between shipping agencies and the customs manifest module, which is currently being developed, Tarocco revealed.
Shipping agents
BeOne was also designed to assist in the operational activities of shipping agents that act in the name of and on behalf of shipping lines. “This part of the module’s software allows ships to be managed as a vessel that arrives and departs from a port. BeOne is a multi-branch system, so each branch is linked to its port of reference. In the case of a single ship, the ERP can manage severa! shipping companies with loads on the same sailing, both at loading and discharge, and goods coming from or to being sent to different destinations,” Tarocco underlines. BeOne enables the management of containers in loading and discharge operations as well as containers in transhipment that are set to be loaded for a different final destination. The possibility therefore arises of options for tracking a container transiting through a port, that is to say when it arrives on one ship and continues its journey on a different vessel. Tarocco provides the following answer on this issue. “Through BeOne, this operation is managed in one single dossier. The software has the requisite specifìcs functions that enable the rapid entry of the agency file and the simultaneous creation of a positioning order. The administrative database also allows users to arrange containers on ships and in companies, both in the loading and unloading processes, depending on the load limits or the possible cost/benefit for shipping agents.” Over and above this it is possible to issue shipping policies regarding the same ship journey and client through BeOne, also for multi-container services with different dossiers. This is effected through an automated operation that is carried out more quickly than with other administrative database software systems.
lnterconnected functions
Another function available in BeOne Shipping Agency concerns issuing a freight account, through which it is possible to automatically calculate freight accounts based on specifìc tariffs entered for each individua! client. Freight statements and manifests, non-freight manifests and cargo manifests can naturally also be issued through the shipping agency module. Freight statement management activities are integrated into the accounting process and the accounting entries are generateci when an agent closes a ship. Tarocco closes by pointing out that “this aspect assumes that policies; dossiers; manifests; delivery orders; positioning orders; customs instructions for other port authorities, port shipping agents, shipping companies, container terminals or other external subjects, such as clients, transporters, customs operators etc, are al! sent automatically. The shipping agent also has the option of receiving information from container terminals, including the date and time of the departure of the container, the identification number of the consignment, the seals affixed and the VGM.” And finally, with regard to the same ship, it is possible to operate through BeOne with companies with which there is no agency-type contract (shipping agency). The software makes it possible for users to act as the agent for severa! companies in the same port.
