Study on development of vessel shore report management system for IMO MSP 8

In this study, a Vessel Shore Report Management System (VSRMS) is developed for the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Maritime Service Portfolio (MSP) Number 8, which comprises vessel shore reporting. Several documents have to be completed before the arrival/departure of a vessel at a port, as each national port has its own reporting format and data. The present vessel reporting system is inefficient, time-consuming, and involves excessive paperwork, which results in duplications and errors. To solve this problem, in this study, the vessel reporting formats and data contents of various national ports are investigated, as at present, the reporting documents required by the current IMO standard includes insufficient information which is requested by national ports. Initially, the vessel reporting information of various national ports are collected and analyzed. Subsequently, a database structure for managing vessel reporting data for ports worldwide is devised. To make the transfer of data and the exchange of information of vessel reports much more reliable, efficient, and paper-free, VSRMS, which is a software application for the simplification and facilitation of vessel report formalities, is developed. This application is developed using the latest Microsoft C#.Net Programming Language in the Microsoft Visual Studio framework 4.5. It provides a user interface and a backend MySQL server used for database management. SAP Crystal Reports 2013 is used for designing and generating vessel reports in the original report formats. The VSRMS can facilitate vessel reporting and improve data accuracy through the reduction of input data, efficient data exchange, and reduction of the cost of communication. Adoption of the VSRMS will allow the vessel shore reporting system to be automated, resulting in enhanced work efficiency for shipping companies. Based on this information system and architecture, the consensus of various international organizations, such as the IMO, the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA), the Federation of National Associations of Ship Brokers and Agents (FONASBA), and the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO), is required so that vessel reporting is standardized internationally.