How AKQUINET makes AIS transponder data tell a story
Data analysis in the event of delayed ship transports
When transporting containers across the world's oceans, real-time transponder data provides up-to-date information about the ship. But what insights do the facts from the Automated Identification System (AIS) provide in the context of further data analysis? In a project, AKQUINET derived from the AIS data information and insides about a series of delayed international sea transports. In this blog post, you can learn more about data-based detective work and optimization potential in container transport.
Author: Michael Kugler, AKQUINET
Challenge: Reliably evaluate delayed shipments through data analysis
The project demanded that AKQUINET provides insides about delays of ship transports over several months and years , the time during the global Covid 19 pandemic. The cargo consisted of goods that were needed and the deliveries stretched over thousands of nautical miles.
AIS transponder data – much more than indicators for real-time tracking
For the delayed shipments, only the time of departure at port X and the time of the late arrival were available. In order to enrich the rudimentary data with information, AKQUINET relied on the AIS transponder data used in conventional shipping. The data was based on the movements of total global shipping traffic over five years.
Documenting ship data: From identification to the complete route
Based on the rudimentary start and arrival data, the AKQINET team identified the data traces of the ships. For all shipments, it was possible to document the route exactly with intermediate stops, ports to the terminal, including layover times. For the enrichment of the raw data with further meaningful information, the key question was: Why did the journey take so long? Were there any abnormalities? What was behind it?
Excessively long waiting times outside the ports
The data often pointed to a pronounced congestion behavior of the ships near ports. It happened that ships drifted around for weeks with the main engine turned off in the ocean currents off the ports. At first glance, the data seemed plausible. During the Corona pandemic, there was a significant impact on global shipping traffic. Ports could not be called, ship crews fell ill, processes were disrupted, so that sea transports were delayed. But the deeper data interpretation offered revealing insights into how to behave during the stops.
Delayed delivery times in data interpretation: "normal" or "unusual"?
After collecting the data, it was a matter of evaluating the data and classifying processes against the background of the pandemic. AKQUINET differentiated between "factual" and "open to interpretation" delays. This was followed by a comparison between the theoretically possible speed and the actual duration of the journey. Delays whose cause left room for interpretation, for example due to meteorological conditions, were recorded separately.
Data enrichment: Nautical know-how of AKQUINET Port Consulting
The specific nautical know-how of the AKQUINET Port Consulting team was used time and time again. Negligent information from the crew's manual travel documentation and seemingly paradoxical behavior of skippers could be classified. For example, a ship designed for 20 knots sailed across the sea at a speed of 10 knots for days and suddenly ran at full throttle for a day – a common practice for a medium-aged diesel ship, as the occasional "blowing through" keeps the main engine clean.
Diverse optimization potential for container transport thanks to data interpretation
With the help of AKQUINET's interpretation of the AIS transponder data, the customer received reliable and far-reaching information on its deliveries, which also included alternative ports in the vicinity or alternative routes.
In general, interpretations of shipment transponder data can be used for a variety of purposes:
- Analysis of delay patterns,
- Determination of potential savings in fuel consumption (comparison of alternative routes),
- Optimization of voyage routes,
- Determination of alternative routes in the event of obstacles,
- Monitoring of crew performance or
- as data evaluation by independent experts.
Automated data interpretations allow the effective analysis of large amounts of data according to individual requirements. The clear visualization of the data makes it easier to use to optimize container transports. But in any case, domain expert knowledge is required to translate data into usable information and value. This project was a good example on the combination of data with expert knowledge to tell the project a story. AKQUINET Port Consulting advises customers in port and terminal logistics with many years of experience from numerous successfully completed projects for the industry. If you would like to evaluate and optimize processes in maritime transport based on data, please contact us.
