From blind spot to benchmark: Why your jetty holds the key to operational resilience

Drie schepen liggen naast elkaar in een rustige haven, omringd door water en een bewolkte lucht.

Publication date: February 9, 2026

IEW 2026: Why the path to operational resilience is found at the Ship-Shore Interface

Much of the discussion at International Energy Week has focused on the strategic roadmap for the coming decade. Whether it's the shift toward new fuels or the ongoing adjustment of global trade routes, the "big picture" is undeniably changing.

However, in our conversations with terminal operators this week, it’s clear that these macro-level shifts are creating a very practical challenge: increased complexity at the berth. The transition doesn't just happen in a spreadsheet; it happens at the ship-shore interface. What we shouldn’t miss in the high-level debate is that the most ambitious energy goals can be undermined by old-fashioned manual friction.

Based on our discussions with stakeholders this week, three specific priorities keep surfacing for those trying to manage this complexity:

1. Standardization as a requirement

As terminals begin to handle a wider variety of products and vessels, clearance can no longer be a "best effort" process. Standardization is becoming the primary tool for managing risk. By automating vetting against live technical and sanctions data, operators are creating a consistent "shield." It ensures that no matter how complex the nomination, the technical and legal clearance remains predictable and fast.
 

2. Predictability over "speed"

True resilience isn't about rushing the turnaround; it's about making it predictable. The biggest drain on margins is the "dead time" that accumulates when nobody is quite sure where the delay started. By moving from paper logs to granular, digital timestamps, terminals can finally identify exactly where the minutes are being lost. That data doesn't just improve efficiency it protects the bottom line from avoidable demurrage.
 

3. Clearer stakeholder communication

The ship-shore interface has traditionally been an information silo, often leading to "who said what" disputes. We’ve learned this week that the most resilient terminals are the ones breaking this down. When everyone, from the terminal staff to the surveyors and the vessel crew, is looking at the same live, digital data, the friction disappears. Good communication is the difference between an operational bottleneck and a smooth departure.
 

The IEW Takeaway

As we wrap up the week, it’s worth remembering that the future of energy relies on the infrastructure we have today. You can't optimize what you can't measure, and you can't measure what stays locked in a paper logbook. The smartest terminals are the ones turning their jetty data into a measurable performance benchmark.