Global shipping data clearly illustrates the scale of the problem. According to Sea-Intelligence, 62.6 per cent of container ships arrived on schedule in June 2026. Compared with previous years, punctuality fell by 4.7 percentage points, whilst delayed vessels were, on average, 5.31 days late. This means that more than a third of ships do not arrive on schedule.

 

“Consequently, in the competition between ports, alongside infrastructure and handling capacity, the ability to manage information is becoming increasingly important. When different teams are working with different versions of a schedule, even a minor change to the timetable can lead to a long chain of coordination. When up-to-date information is visible in one place, the same change can be assessed before it becomes an operational problem,” says our terminal manager, Vaidotas Šileika.

 

Our terminal is developing digitalisation in this direction. We have implemented the ‘Portchain Quay’ system. This solution will centralise the planning of berths, cranes and work teams within a single, real-time environment and will complement ‘Portchain Connect’, which was implemented in January 2026 and through which KCT collaborates digitally with shipping companies.

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Plans can no longer be static

 

For a long time, the planning of terminal cargo handling operations followed a fairly clear sequence: a plan is drawn up, resources are allocated, and when a change occurs, the plan is adjusted. However, the more frequently vessel arrival times and cargo volumes change, the shorter the period for which the initial plan remains relevant.

 

“Ship schedules are now more often subject to last-minute changes, so terminals have to constantly adjust their berth plans, crane allocation and other operational resources,” says Thor Thorup, CCO and co-founder of Portchain.

 

The UNCTAD ‘Review of Maritime Transport’, published in 2025, indicates that global port congestion increased again in 2024: in December, the average waiting time for ships in developed countries stood at 6.4 hours, compared with 5.2 hours a year earlier, whilst in developing countries it was 10.9 hours, compared with 10.2 hours.

 

​The problem arises not only from the use of spreadsheets, emails or other manual tools. A greater risk arises when different terminal functions rely on inconsistent information at the same time.

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When the turnaround time for a single vessel is changed, the planner must assess what this means for other berths, crane utilisation, staff shifts and subsequent vessels. The later such a conflict is spotted, the fewer options there are to resolve it without additional costs or disruption. And the problem doesn’t end at the terminal gates. A change in a vessel’s turnaround time can alter tugboat flows, container collection times, storage requirements and the plans of other participants in the logistics chain.

 

Data is becoming just as important as infrastructure

 

According to T. Thorup, digital maturity is better reflected not by the number of systems in use, but by whether information flows quickly enough between systems, teams and partners to be relied upon for decision-making.

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The ‘Container Port Performance Index’, compiled by the World Bank in collaboration with S&P Global Market Intelligence, assesses terminal efficiency primarily based on the time a vessel spends in port. The World Bank emphasises that more efficient ports not only reduce costs and increase the reliability of supply chains, but also reduce emissions, as waiting and handling times for ships are shortened.

 

However, the potential for digitalisation has not yet been fully realised worldwide. The World Bank’s ‘Port Digitalisation Roadmap’ presents data from the 2021 IAPH survey, which covered 111 countries: at that time, only 34 per cent of the ports surveyed had an electronic data exchange system compliant with IMO FAL requirements. This data is from 2021, not a reflection of the current state of digitalisation.

 

This is also relevant when discussing artificial intelligence. The potential for its application at terminals is limited not primarily by a lack of algorithms, but by the quality and availability of data. If information is fragmented or delayed, an automated solution will merely process an inaccurate picture of the situation more quickly.

 

​Less fragmentation, more of a holistic view

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“Our aim is not simply to have more technology. The aim is for technology to help people understand the situation more quickly and make decisions. This is particularly important in terminal operations, as decisions often need to be made swiftly, based on the most up-to-date information available at the time,” says Mindaugas Nekrošius, Head of IT at KTG.

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According to him, this latest stage of digitalisation is less about automating individual tasks and more about integrating data and processes. The practical aim is to help teams rely on the same up-to-date data.

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A single change can rewrite the entire day’s schedule

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Our terminal’s container handling capacity stands at up to 700,000 TEU per year. At a terminal of this scale, the quay schedule is not merely a timetable for vessel arrivals.

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If the arrival time or cargo volume of a single vessel changes, it may be necessary to reallocate cranes and staff, and adjust the handling of other vessels. According to Portchain, its platform is used by more than 200 terminals worldwide.

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“It’s not just about planning for a vessel more quickly. All the teams that depend on this information must have access to up-to-date data. Then we can identify risks earlier, reallocate resources and provide the customer with more reliable information,” says V. Šileika.

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​In logistics, reliable information about when a consignment will actually be handled has economic value, as it allows for more accurate planning of transport, warehouses, staff and subsequent stages of the supply chain.

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​Accurate planning can also reduce ships’ fuel consumption

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​Better data exchange between the ship and the terminal has another benefit that is becoming increasingly important – it helps to reduce unnecessary waiting times and, consequently, emissions.

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​In a traditional scenario, a vessel may sail at a higher speed in order to arrive at the scheduled time, only to find, upon reaching the port, that the berth is still occupied or unavailable. The ‘Just-in-Time Arrival’ (JIT) principle works in the opposite way: the vessel receives more reliable information in advance about when it will actually be possible to begin handling it, and can adjust its schedule accordingly.

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A global container shipping study commissioned by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) showed that by optimising speed throughout the entire voyage, average fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions per voyage could be reduced by around 14 per cent. Even with accurate information covering only the last 24 hours, the potential savings amounted to 5.9 per cent, and for the last 12 hours – 4.23 per cent.

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In a study published in 2026 in the journal *Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review*, entitled ‘AI-driven Just-In-Time coordination between port and ships: Advancing maritime decarbonisation’, the authors presented the AI4JIT solution, adapted to data from one of Asia’s largest ports. In a historical data test, a potential reduction in fuel consumption and emissions of between 6.45 per cent and 7.39 per cent was identified for 2.94 per cent of the port calls assessed. As the port is not publicly named in the study, these results should be regarded as the outcome of a test of a specific model rather than an indicator directly applicable to all ports.

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​Another dimension of port competitiveness is emerging

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Alongside the physical capacity of a terminal, the ability to exchange data rapidly is becoming increasingly important.

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This trend is already being institutionalised on a global scale. In the new ‘Port Call Optimisation Guide’ presented by the IMO in March 2026, one of the key priorities identified is the harmonised electronic exchange of operational data between ports, terminals and ships, with a view to achieving greater efficiency and predictability in port operations.

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​“Digital terminals that most effectively integrate data, operational teams and processes will be one step ahead. And terminals that are already generating high-quality and reliable data flows today will, in the future, be better placed to take advantage of increasingly advanced decision-support technologies,” says T. Thorup, speaking about the impact of digitalisation, AI and real-time data on competitiveness.

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​This is also important in the context of Klaipėda’s competitiveness as a port. Terminals do not compete in isolation: for a shipping line or cargo owner, the entire chain is important – from vessel handling and the accuracy of information to how smoothly the cargo can continue its journey by rail or road.

 

The Portchain Quay terminal began installation in August, and we started using it at the beginning of October.

 

​The article was published in "Verslo žinios".

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