The Desk: Product Matching and Baseline Clearance
Clearance begins the moment a customer requests to move a specific product. The desk team takes on the complex task of evaluating compatibility. First, they match the nominated product against the specific capabilities, line systems, and infrastructure of the assigned jetty to ensure safe handling.
Simultaneously, they conduct thorough reviews of the vessel itself. For every single visit, operators require standard industry questionnaires like the Q88 to be uploaded and reviewed. The desk compares the vessel's specifications—such as Length Overall (LOA), beam, and expected draft—against strict physical limitations. They manage the compliance side, checking databases for dynamic vessel bans, international sanctions, and terminal-specific safety rules.
Crucially, the desk team analyzes the newly submitted Q88 alongside the terminal’s own historical reviews. Structuring this extensive desk analysis into a clear digital workflow translates the approved clearance parameters into standardized data points.
The Jetty: Executing ISGOTT and Physical Verification
When the vessel berths, the responsibility shifts to the loading master. The desk team cleared the vessel and the product on paper. The field team then confirms the physical reality matches the approved data and verifies all safety procedures are strictly followed.
A rigorous desk review of the Q88 ensures these physical operations proceed smoothly, allowing the loading master to focus entirely on the physical loading arrangement and immediate safety protocols. By connecting the desk's digital clearance directly to the tools used in the field, the loading master can immediately verify the physical condition of the ship. They confirm the actual arrival draft marks, assess the manifold connections, and execute the ISGOTT Ship-Shore Safety Checklist based on the exact parameters approved by the desk.
The Return Feed: Capturing the Visit Log
The true value of a connected workflow emerges after the loading arms disconnect. Information flows in both directions. The observations made by the loading master during the visit flow directly back to the desk team.
Terminals capture specific, operational intelligence from every single transfer:
- Did the physical loading arrangement match the expected parameters?
- Were there any unexpected delays during the mooring process?
- Did the crew adhere strictly to the terminal's safety protocols during the product transfer?
This post-visit review becomes a permanent, verifiable record attached to that specific vessel.
Building a Proprietary Vessel Database
Capturing this return data transforms how a terminal group operates. When a vessel is nominated again months later, the desk team requires a fresh Q88 submission, and they evaluate it with the added context of their own verified historical data.
This intelligence scales across the entire organization. Terminals within the same group share these visit logs, building their own global, proprietary vessel databases. If a ship docks in Rotterdam today, the commercial and clearance teams in Houston know exactly what to expect from its physical characteristics and crew performance when it is nominated there next year.
This continuous data loop creates measurable operational stability. It allows organizations to accelerate the clearance process, confidently update jetty limitations based on verified field data, and ensure strict safety adherence across every single product transfer globally.
