Port Efficiency Optimisation
Every hour a vessel spends idling at berth costs £12,000 in fuel, crew wages, and lost revenue. Multiply that by 1,247 ships annually — and you’re haemorrhaging millions. What if you could slash dwell time by 42%, optimise berth planning with real-time data, and allocate resources dynamically? That’s not wishful thinking. That’s what Solent Maritime Connect delivers.
Cut Dwell Time. Boost Throughput.
Port efficiency isn’t about working harder. It’s about working smarter — with data, automation, and real-time visibility. From berth planning to resource allocation, we help ports reduce delays, cut costs, and outperform global benchmarks.
Optimise Your Port TodayDwell Time Reduction
Dwell time — the silent killer of port profitability. In 2023, the average UK port saw vessels waiting 3.2 days for berths, customs, and cargo handling. That’s 76.8 hours of wasted fuel, crew time, and opportunity. Solent Maritime Connect slashes that figure by 42% — not with guesswork, but with predictive analytics, automated customs clearance, and real-time coordination between terminals, hauliers, and shipping lines.
How? By integrating vessel ETA data with terminal capacity, customs processing times, and road haulage schedules. Our digital twin platform flags bottlenecks before they happen — like a 40-minute customs delay that could cascade into a 6-hour backlog. (And yes, we’ve seen it happen.) With automated alerts and dynamic rescheduling, ports reduce dwell time to 1.8 days — saving £14.4 million annually for a mid-sized hub.
One client — a major UK container port — cut dwell time from 3.1 to 1.9 days in six months. That’s 1.2 days per vessel, 1,247 vessels per year, and £17.9 million in savings. (Do the maths.)
Berth Optimisation
Berth planning isn’t just about assigning slots. It’s about matching vessel size, cargo type, and terminal capacity — in real time. Most ports still use spreadsheets and whiteboards. (Yes, in 2024.) That leads to underutilised berths, last-minute scrambles, and vessels idling offshore — costing £5,000 per hour.
Solent Maritime Connect replaces guesswork with data. Our berth optimisation engine ingests vessel ETAs, cargo manifests, crane availability, and tidal constraints — then generates a dynamic plan that maximises throughput. It even accounts for unexpected delays — like a storm that pushes a vessel’s ETA back by 12 hours. (Because weather happens.)
One UK port increased berth utilisation from 78% to 92% in three months. That’s 14% more vessels processed — without adding a single crane or berth. (And no, it’s not magic. It’s data.)
Resource Allocation
Ports are resource-intensive beasts. Cranes, trucks, labour, storage — all need to be in the right place at the right time. Get it wrong, and you’ve got cranes sitting idle while trucks queue for hours. (Sound familiar?)
Our resource allocation module uses real-time data to match demand with supply. Need 12 cranes for a 20,000 TEU vessel? We’ll ensure they’re ready — and that the hauliers are lined up to move containers to the yard. No more “crane congestion” or “truck queues”. Just smooth, efficient operations.
One client reduced crane idle time by 35% and cut truck turnaround time from 42 to 28 minutes. That’s 14 minutes saved per truck — and with 1,500 trucks daily, that’s 350 hours saved every week. (Do the maths again.)
Crane Utilisation
Reduce idle time by 35% with real-time crane-to-vessel matching.
Truck Turnaround
Cut truck turnaround time from 42 to 28 minutes with dynamic scheduling.
Labour Allocation
Match workforce to demand with real-time shift optimisation.
Performance Metrics & KPIs
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Yet most ports track KPIs in silos — dwell time in one system, berth utilisation in another, resource allocation in a spreadsheet. (Yes, still.)
Solent Maritime Connect consolidates all performance metrics into a single dashboard. Dwell time, berth utilisation, crane productivity, truck turnaround, customs clearance times — all updated in real time. And not just for your port. We benchmark you against global peers — so you know exactly where you stand.
One client discovered their dwell time was 22% higher than the global average. (Ouch.) Within six months, they’d closed the gap — and now outperform 87% of ports worldwide. (Not bad for a spreadsheet-free operation.)
Benchmarking Against Global Ports
How does your port stack up against Rotterdam, Singapore, or Los Angeles? Most ports don’t know — because they lack access to global benchmarking data. (And no, industry reports from 2019 don’t count.)
Solent Maritime Connect provides real-time benchmarking against 147 global ports. Dwell time, berth utilisation, crane productivity, truck turnaround — all compared to your peers. And not just as a static report. As a live dashboard that updates monthly.
One UK port discovered they were in the bottom 25% for dwell time. (Not great.) Within a year, they’d climbed to the top 40%. (Better.) And they’re not stopping there. (Neither should you.)
Why Benchmarking Matters
- Identify gaps — and opportunities
- Set realistic targets — not guesses
- Track progress — in real time
- Outperform competitors — not just peers
Benchmarking isn’t about bragging rights. It’s about knowing where you stand — and where you can go. (And yes, we’ll help you get there.)
Ready to Optimise Your Port?
Every day you wait is another day of lost revenue, wasted fuel, and frustrated customers. Solent Maritime Connect helps ports reduce dwell time, optimise berth planning, allocate resources dynamically, and outperform global benchmarks. (And yes, we’ll prove it with data.)
Get a Free Efficiency AuditFrequently Asked Questions
Most ports see measurable improvements within 30 days — like a 15% reduction in dwell time or a 10% increase in berth utilisation. Full optimisation typically takes 3-6 months, depending on port size and complexity.
No. Solent Maritime Connect integrates with your existing systems — whether that’s terminal operating software, customs platforms, or ERP. We’re not here to rip and replace. We’re here to make what you have work better.
Pricing depends on port size, complexity, and the modules you need. We offer flexible pricing — from monthly subscriptions to revenue-sharing models. (And yes, we’ll tailor it to your budget.)
We provide 24/7 support — because ports don’t sleep. Our team includes former port operators, logistics experts, and data scientists. (And yes, we speak your language.)