Port Signs MOU With Singapore's Portnet.com

Seattle First U.S. Port to Partner With World Leader In Web-Based Port and Shipping Management Systems

The Port of Seattle has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Portnet.com, a wholly owned subsidiary of the PSA Corporation Ltd, to market, implement and operate a Web-based information technology system for Seattle's harbor. This marks the first time Portnet.com's port and shipping management technology has been made available to a port in the United States.

The Portnet.com system synthesizes information from a variety of sources for maximum harbor efficiency, linking together all the participants in the cargo chain and integrating data for convenient access and use. The MOU will allow the two organizations to combine their resources and capabilities and pave the way for establishing a new Web-based port and shipping community system, "Portnet Seattle."

"The Port of Seattle has always been an innovative industry leader in cargo management, and PSA Corporation's Portnet.com is the world's foremost provider of this type of next-generation technology," said M. R. Dinsmore, executive director of the Port of Seattle. "Portnet.com's technology will enable the Port of Seattle to exceed our current capabilities as a comprehensive, efficient port, adding tremendous value to our customers."

Robert Yap, managing director, Portnet.com Pte Ltd and executive vice president (Information Technology), PSA Corporation, said Portnet.com is honored to have the opportunity to work with the Port of Seattle.

"Portnet.com is honored to have the opportunity to work with the Port of Seattle, a leader in the U.S. port business. This MOU is significant as it also marks Portnet.com's first collaboration with an American port. We look forward to sharing our knowledge in port development and container handling, IT expertise and operations know-how with the Port of Seattle to achieve win-win results," he said.

PORTNET is the world's first nationwide business-to-business port and shipping community, encapsulating 16 years of IT and operational domain knowledge into a reliable package. Users can take advantage of online ordering and documentation, facilitating fulfillment and track and trace capabilities.

First developed in 1984, the PORTNET system links shipping lines, haulers, freight forwarders, shippers and government agencies in Singapore, and facilitates business-to-business transactions for the port and shipping industries. PORTNET also enhances productivity and reduces operational costs for users through efficient information management via a central database.

The MOU with the Port of Seattle reflects Portnet.com's vision to establish and implement the PORTNET system in ports all over the world. Portnet.com has signed an agreement with the Port of Dalian Authority and Dalian Container Terminal in August 2000 to develop, manage, and market the PORTNET system to the northeastern China region.

Dinsmore said the Portnet.com partnership is the Port of Seattle's next step in its new e-Business Initiative. The Port recently partnered with Applied Theory to develop an architectural blueprint of the Port's current IT capabilities and recommend additional IT technology needed to construct a platform on which the Port's future e-Business ventures could be built.

"Adding value to everything we do for our customers is of paramount concern to the Port," Dinsmore said. "Whether it's developing an on-line moorage reservation system for our recreational marinas, providing personalized on-line information for airline passengers traveling through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, or offering our shipping customers real-time cargo tracking capabilities from the factory in South Korea all the way to the Midwestern warehouse, we will continue looking for new and better ways to serve our customers."

The Port of Seattle operates one of the United States' largest seaports, handling an average of 1.5 million standard cargo containers a year with a total cargo value of more than $32 billion. The Port also operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, one of the nation's busiest airports, and Fishermen's Terminal, homeport to the North Pacific fishing fleet. Two recreational marinas, a cruise ship terminal, and an international conference center, are also operated by the Port.