New Technology Saves Time For Busy Ship Brokers

Montreal-based software innovator Stelvio Inc has reacted to demands from the shipbroking sector for faster and more accurate vessel positioning and cargo order data by developing software which it claims will cut the workload by half.

Its ShipDecision software eliminates the need for brokers to search manually through the thousands of incoming daily emails. The Vessel Position feature of the system examines each incoming message and automatically extracts the critical vessel information such as the name, ownership and tonnage of the vessel; its region and position; and its open date range.

Through a unique algorithm, the system also ‘learns’ to adapt to various formats of information, so that it can extract the relevant data regardless of the format in which it is written. The Cargo Order feature of the system makes it easier for brokers to search for cargo orders by lay-can date range; cargo type and quantity; zone and port; and by latest date.

“Quickly matching the right ship to the right cargo, in the most cost effective manner, is a critical action in the maritime shipping industry,” claimed Albert Carbone, President of Stelvio Inc.

“The feedback we have had from the brokering community is that the Broker Module will make a real difference in day-to-day productivity,” he added.

ShipDecision is a secure, web-based system which fully integrates all the information and documents needed to manage cargo movement and vessel operations. With specific modules for Brokers, Operators, Charterers, Surveyors, Agents, Insurers and Registries, the system is intuitive to the industry and substantially improves the speed and efficiency of everyday processes.

ShipDecision’s broker module is already making life simpler for busy Montrealbased cargo brokerage house Gresco which recently signed a three-year contract to use the system to handle the myriad of emails, faxes and requests received on a daily basis.

Gresco’s broking team receives more than 1,000 emails each day together with hundreds of phone calls and approximately 400 faxes per month.

Perhaps the single biggest benefit of the ShipDecision Broker Module is that it eliminates the need for Gresco to search manually through the thousands of incoming daily emails.

In the coming months the Gresco team will begin to use the Cargo Order feature of the system, which will make it easier for the brokers to search for cargo orders by lay-can date range; cargo type and quantity; zone and port; and by latest date.

A Gresco spokesperson said: “Efficiency is the ultimate benefit that Gresco has derived from ShipDecision. Quickly matching the right ship to the right cargo, in the most cost-effective manner is critical to our business”.