HomeJust-in-Time Port Calls Made Simple: 2025 Update

Just-in-Time Port Calls Made Simple: 2025 Update

September 12, 2025

Just-in-Time (JIT) arrival is the simple idea that ships should steam to the real berth time, not the first ETA guessed days ago. With port-call APIs and standardized messages (MSW/FAL, IALA S-211, DCSA JIT), you slow earlier, cut anchorage, burn less fuel, and shrink your CII and ETS bill, often with no hardware change. Recent studies and trials show meaningful savings when the last 12–24 hours are coordinated.

🧪 What is it and Keep it Simple...

  • Plain English: JIT arrival means steaming to the time the berth and marine services are actually ready. Ports share live timestamps; ships adjust speed earlier; anchorage and last-minute sprints disappear.
  • Why owners care in 2025: Coordinating the final 12–24 hours typically delivers measurable fuel and CO₂ cuts that improve CII and reduce ETS exposure—without installing new hardware.
  • What’s new: The Maritime Single Window is now mandatory (since 2024), and port-call data standards (IALA S-211 & DCSA JIT Port Call) give you interoperable APIs for timestamps like pilot boarding time, berth time, towage, and start cargo.
  • Evidence: IMO-backed work shows up to ~14% per-voyage reduction potential; real port trials report ~8–9% fuel cuts when optimizing just the last 12–24 hours. Conservative programs still see ~4–6% when applied late in the voyage.
  • How to start: pick two port pairs, wire the port-call API (or agent workflow) for live ETB/ETD, set a “slow-down if ETB slips” rule, and measure results against a weather-corrected baseline.
Just-in-Time (JIT) Arrival & Port-Call APIs — Advantages and Disadvantages
Category Advantages Disadvantages Notes / Considerations
Fuel & CO₂ Earlier slow-steaming cuts bunker burn; less anchorage idling; measurable CO₂ reduction. Benefits shrink if late timetable changes force speed-ups; weather/current can offset gains. Track baseline fuel for last 24–48h legs; verify with speed/power correction.
CII & ETS impact Lower operational carbon intensity; smaller ETS bill on EU-related legs. If coordination fails, “catch-up” steaming worsens CII/ETS for the voyage. Include EUA price band in ROI and show per-voyage CII letter delta to crews/charterers.
Port coordination Shared timestamps (pilot, tug, berth) reduce uncertainty; fewer last-minute changes. Coverage varies by port; agents may relay info manually; data latency hurts trust. Start with 2–3 willing ports; publish a single “source of truth” ETA/ETB rule.
APIs & standards Uses IALA S-211 / DCSA JIT messages; plugs into MSW/FAL flows; vendor-neutral. Mapping legacy formats takes effort; some port systems remain proprietary. Build a small adapter layer; log all time-stamp updates with provenance.
Bridge & ops workflow Clear slow-down triggers; fewer “hurry-up-and-wait” cycles; calmer arrivals. New SOPs needed for speed changes; risk of mixed instructions from multiple parties. Make a one-page playbook: who signals what, when, and via which channel.
Commercial & charterparty Supports “no anchorage burn” clauses; strengthens CO₂ surcharge pass-through. Laytime/demurrage terms may conflict with JIT behavior if not updated. Align CP wording (ETA updates, data sharing consent, CO₂ allocation).
Schedule reliability Realistic ETB lowers berth clashes; better tug/pilot utilization. Port ops shocks (weather, crane failure) can nullify optimized plan. Use buffers and “confidence bands” on ETB; allow dynamic re-targeting.
Cyber & data security Standardized interfaces ease security controls and audit trails. More external connections increase attack surface; spoofed timestamps = risk. Deploy API keys, TLS, allow-lists; log and sign time-stamp messages.
Compliance readiness Leverages MSW digitization; supports decarbonization plans (SEEMP Part III). Uneven MSW maturity across ports; document control needed for audits. Keep a port-by-port readiness map; store all API exchanges for 24+ months.
Cost & ROI Light CapEx (mostly software/integration); savings start Day-1 on active routes. Value depends on baseline anchorage; thin margins if already efficient. Model by port pair: anchorage hours × fuel price × EUA × frequency.
Change management Simple training modules; visible quick wins help adoption. Habitual “rush then wait” culture resists change; multiple stakeholders to align. Run a 60-day pilot with success metric (anchorage ↓, CII ↑, ETS € ↓).
Data quality & coverage Better ETA/ETB accuracy improves entire fleet schedule. Garbage-in = garbage-out: bad AIS, agent delays, or missing pilot slots break trust. Score each port on timestamp freshness and accuracy; prioritize high-score lanes.
KPI & verification Clear metrics: anchorage hours, last-leg fuel, CO₂/ETS €, CII delta. Attribution is tricky if weather or cargo readiness also changed. Use A/B windows, normalize for weather, and publish monthly “JIT scorecards.”
Summary: JIT is a low-hardware, high-coordination efficiency lever. Start with cooperative ports, wire APIs or agent workflows for live ETB, give the bridge simple slow-down rules, and measure savings transparently against a corrected baseline. The biggest wins come from consistent use in the final 12–24 hours before arrival.

⚗️ 2025 JIT Arrival & Port-Call APIs — Is it really working?

  • Status today: JIT is live in multiple ports and carrier programs. With the IMO Maritime Single Window in force and common data models (IALA S-211, DCSA JIT), sharing reliable ETB/ETD timestamps is finally practical.
  • Typical fuel/CO₂ wins: Programs coordinating the last 12–24 hours report ~5–9% fuel cut on the arrival leg. End-to-end JIT (earlier coordination) can reach a conservative 4–14% range depending on trade and schedule stability.
  • What counts as “working”: Anchorage hours drop, last-leg speed profile smooths (fewer sprints), and you see a measurable CO₂/ETS reduction with a neutral or better ETA reliability trend.
  • Proof points to track: Anchorage hours per call, last-leg fuel (t), CO₂/ETS € avoided, CII letter delta, and timestamp freshness (pilot/tug/berth updates within 15–30 min).
  • What enables it: A single “source-of-truth” ETA rule, live port-call timestamps via API (or agent workflow), and bridge SOPs that trigger slow-down when ETB slips.
  • Where it breaks: Late cargo readiness changes, uncertain pilot windows, or stale data feeds. These cause catch-up steaming that erodes CII/ETS gains.
  • Owner action now: Pick 2–3 cooperative ports, wire the port-call feed, run a 60-day pilot with A/B voyages, and publish a simple monthly “JIT scorecard” to crews and chartering.
  • Time to value: Light integration (weeks) and no new ship hardware. Savings start as soon as speed targets follow live ETB.
🧮 JIT Arrival — Mini ROI
Fuel saved / year
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Fuel $ saved / year
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ETS $ avoided / year
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Net annual (incl. ETS)
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Payback (discounted)
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NPV / IRR
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Defaults mirror late-voyage JIT gains (last 12–24h, ~6–9% on that segment). CO₂ factor fixed at 3.114 tCO₂/t fuel. Edit numbers to your lane.
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