New Users for the RiverPorts Planning and Information System

duisport, the Swiss Rhine Ports, and the Port of Ludwigshafen will now utilize the further developed RiverPorts Planning and Information System (RPIS) from RheinPorts GmbH. duisport CEO Markus Bangen, Florian Röthlingshöfer, Director of the Swiss Rhine Ports, Martin Nusser, Deputy Director of the Swiss Rhine Ports, Franz Reindl, Managing Director of the Port Operations Ludwigshafen am Rhein GmbH, and Felix Harder, Managing Director of RheinPorts GmbH, jointly signed the relevant usage agreements last Friday, September 16, 2022, in Duisburg.

(Duisburg) The first comprehensive port communication system connects and digitizes inland shipping with the associated port industry. Other ports and stakeholders are also invited to use the RPIS.

After duisport, alongside the Swiss Rhine Ports and CCI Alsace Eurométropole (Port de Mulhouse), became a shareholder in RheinPorts last year, the usage agreements for the RiverPorts Planning and Information System have now been signed. “With the signed contract, the Port of Ludwigshafen and duisport lay the foundation for the active use of the RPIS and can thus further improve resource planning and efficiency in logistics chains in the future,” explains Felix Harder.

Developed by RheinPorts, the RPIS is the world’s first digital traffic management platform for goods transport by inland shipping in the hinterland. Simply put, the system exchanges necessary information between all relevant stakeholders – such as shipping companies, terminals, or ports – in international supply chains to optimally support the physical transport of goods and especially the handling in logistics hubs.

Platform as a Standard on the Rhine and in the Hinterland

The RPIS, which has been in use since 2017 in the Upper Rhine region, has been adapted to the current needs of the port industry in close collaboration with stakeholders and long-term partners, such as the Port of Ludwigshafen, and is now available in a new version. The further developed RPIS, with its additional modules such as bulk cargo processing, a port monitor, or a customs module, is ready for use. The system is already being applied by many companies along the Upper Rhine. Other ports and stakeholders are welcome. “The RPIS is a versatile platform with a large user base. Different user groups are integrated and receive relevant information and transport modes at a glance according to their needs. To achieve this, we have developed, for example, target group-specific user interfaces,” says Stanislaw Spitzer, Managing Director of RheinPorts GmbH.

In the future, the platform will be gradually expanded to include applications for other goods segments and transport modes – such as rail. The goal is to expand the platform as a standard on the Rhine and in the European hinterland. The RPIS serves as an intelligent service platform (“Smart Port and Logistics Service Platform”) to integrate goods flows and supply chains.

Florian Röthlingshöfer, Director of the Swiss Rhine Ports: “The digitization of the shipping and port world is of central importance for the future of the industry. In the Basel area, RPIS is already actively used in the container segment by shipping companies and terminal operators. It enables efficient, time-saving planning and handling of transshipments in the Rhine ports. Let us shape the digital future together with the further development of the RPIS.”

duisport CEO Markus Bangen: “The RPIS is an important milestone on the way to the digitization of logistics in Europe. The platform will not only advance the Duisburg location but will also make a significant contribution to the networking of all logistics hubs in the hinterland.”

Franz Reindl, Managing Director of the Port of Ludwigshafen: “The inland port of Ludwigshafen is a bulk cargo hub at the confluence of the Rhine and Neckar rivers and has very good connections to the regional road and rail network, making it a preferred location. Through RPIS, we also connect the other inland ports in RLP and jointly shape the digital future.”

Photo: © Duisport / Image caption: (l. to r.): Felix Harder (Managing Director of RheinPorts GmbH), Markus Bangen (CEO duisport), Florian Röthlingshöfer (Director of the Swiss Rhine Ports), Martin Nusser (Deputy Director of the Swiss Rhine Ports), and Franz Reindl (Managing Director of the Port Operations Ludwigshafen am Rhein GmbH).