GLASS

Background:

In the fast-moving and often opaque market environment of global maritime shipping, access to clear key performance indicators and reliable information is becoming increasingly important. This transparency is crucial for making well-founded strategic and operational decisions. In this context, the benchmarking service GLASS - Global Liner Analytics and Shipping Statistics from Fraunhofer CML offers a powerful tool for shipping companies, port operators, freight forwarders and authorities. GLASS analyzes historical and current data from the Automatic Identification System (AIS) and generates precise performance indicators on terminal lay times, congestion and capacity utilization in ports and distributions of voyage times in global liner shipping.

Project goals:

GLASS supports data-driven decisions that lead to optimized operations, greater reliability and more efficient supply chains. The solution goes far beyond conventional port statistics and provides detailed insights at terminal level - worldwide. Shipping companies benefit by being able to specifically evaluate the performance of individual terminals and adapt their fleet strategy accordingly. Port operators and terminal managers are given the opportunity to compare their services with those of their competitors, identify bottlenecks and increase terminal throughput. Freight forwarders can use GLASS to find the most reliable partners and optimize the resilience of their supply chain. Public authorities and institutions can use the data to evaluate the performance of the ports in their area of responsibility and make well-founded infrastructure management decisions.

GLASS specifics:

• Insights at terminal level

Our service goes beyond general port statistics to provide detailed insights at terminal level. This allows stakeholders to compare specific terminals according to their performance for different vessel types and sizes, identifying the best performing facilities for specific requirements.

• Global coverage

Our benchmarking service covers all major terminals worldwide, providing a truly global overview of terminal performance. This unprecedented scope means our clients are not just comparing against local or regional competitors, but on a global scale, giving them a clear strategic advantage.

• State of the art methodology

We discretize AIS data to capture vessel movements, calculate turnaround times and assess terminal congestion. The result is a benchmarking report that is precise, accurate, comprehensive and actionable, providing insights that were previously unavailable in the market.

Tasks of the Fraunhofer CML:

Fraunhofer CML developed GLASS using its own data collection and analysis infrastructures.