How Vopak Europoort optimized ship-shore collaboration to accelerate vessel turnaround

Luchtfoto van een industriële haven met opslagtanks en een schip in de ruimte tussen water en land.
Logo van Vopak, een internationaal bedrijf dat zich richt op tankopslag en logistiek van vloeistoffen.
IndustryTank Storage
Business needDigitize critical ship-shore operations
Facts
90Vessels per month
10 minProcess time (reduced from 45m)
ZeroPaper waste
RPASystem integration

How Vopak Europoort cut ship-shore safety check times by 78% at the Port of Rotterdam

Royal Vopak is the world’s leading independent tank storage company, connecting the supply and demand for vital products like oil, gas, and chemicals across 80 terminals globally. Vopak Europoort, a major oil hub in the Port of Rotterdam, manages the arrival of approximately 90 vessels per month. To ensure safe transfer operations, the terminal adheres to rigorous ISGOTT (International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals) standards. This critical ship-shore interface requires seamless coordination between the terminal’s loading master and the vessel’s captain across pre-arrival, arrival, and repetitive safety checks.

The challenge 

Despite operating a high-tech facility, Vopak’s ship-shore safety process was hindered by a fragmented, paper-heavy workflow that created operational friction.

  • The efficiency gap: Executing manual ISGOTT checklists was time-consuming, taking up to 45 minutes per session, which delayed operations and impacted vessel turnaround times.
  • Disconnected data: Critical information was trapped in paper stacks, leading to potential data loss and making it difficult to retrieve records during safety audits.
  • Communication silos: The manual handover of forms between shore staff and ship crews caused miscommunications and errors, particularly during shift changes.
  • Safety risks: Physical document exchange required close human interaction, posing safety risks during the global pandemic.
     

The solution 

Vopak Europoort implemented the Smartflow Ship-Shore Solution to create a unified digital ecosystem. This move replaced physical binders with a fully digitized ISGOTT process that seamlessly connects the ship (captain) and shore (loading master, operations, logistics). Co-developed to meet strict terminal regulations, the solution enables contactless digital collaboration, allowing both parties to complete safety declarations remotely. The platform also integrates with Vopak’s backend Customer Order Systems via RPA, ensuring that the ship-shore data flow is automated and error-free.
 

The results 

By digitizing the ship-shore interface, Vopak transformed its frontline operations, achieving faster turnaround times and 100% compliance visibility.

  1. Accelerated turnaround: The time to complete ship-shore safety checks dropped from 45 minutes to just 10 minutes—a drastic reduction that gets vessels moving faster.
  2. Enhanced safety & compliance: The contactless solution eliminated the need for physical interaction, increasing safety for both crew and terminal staff while reducing errors in safety declarations.
  3. Real-time terminal visibility: Operations teams can now track vessel ETAs and monitor delays in real-time, allowing for proactive decision-making.
  4. Zero waste operations: The terminal achieved zero paper waste for these processes, cutting printing costs and ensuring all data is instantly retrievable for analysis

 

Ready to streamline your ship-shore operations?

Discover how our connected worker platform can help your company transform its ISGOTT process and reduce turnaround times, just as we did for Vopak Europoort.

Schedule a free demo