The Secure Chain

In this knowledge article we explain how you can submit a commercial release via various bulk actions for repetitive actions. Like registering (regular, occuring) partners, per B/L, in bulk via Excel uploads or Cargo Controller API. You can only apply this article if you have received a commercial release.

Passing on releases

Passing on an releases differs for the role of the chain party that you are going to manage. We have elaborated on the standard action per container in this article.

Processing releases in bulk

The above are simple actions if you have a limited volume of commercial releases to process. Within the Cargo Controller service there are several options to perform this in bulk, manually, semi-automatically or fully automated.

1. Nominate via multi select
   Select a whole B/L by checking the checkbox for the B/L number. You can do this directly with multiple B/Ls.
   
2. Nominate via multi select and filters
   The fastest way is to use the Quickview 'My Cargo' in combination with the filter 'Inland Operator' on the value 'Not nominated'. You can use additional filters to determine a range. Then check whether all B/Ls that you see in the overview screen are correct and click the checkbox next to the search field. This will select all containers that have not yet been nominated and that fall within your criteria in one go. Then click on 'Nominate Inland Operator' at the top of the screen. Go through the step-by-step plan and you will work on this action in bulk.
   
3. Trusted Cargo Director
   Register your regular forwarder as a chain partner, we call this a 'trusted cargo director'. If the chain partner tracks the same B/L before you receive the commercial release, your partner will immediately be given the role of Cargo Director and can nominate his Inland Operator. Read further on in the article how you can set this up and apply it.
4. Excel up- and download
   Within Cargo Controller it is possible to download all data that you see in the overview screen. In addition, there is also an option to upload up to 500 lines of data. In addition to tracking B/Ls in bulk in this way, you can also nominate and assign in bulk. Read here how you can apply this.
5. Cargo Controller API
   Upon receipt of the commercial release, another party can be appointed as Cargo Director or a carrier can be nominated. Read all about it on our Developer portal of Cargo Controller API. Especially read the 'use cases Secure Chain'.

Registering Trusted Cargo Directors

This can only be set by Power Users and User Administrators.

1. Log in to Cargo Controller, go to user menu > Manage data authorisations.
   
2. Go to the tab 'Trusted Cargo Directors' and here you can register your logistics partners. You can add multiple parties. They will not receive confirmation of this registration.It only works for the B/Ls that you both track in advance and after which your organization receives the release.

Tip: Use this option for a limited number of organizations as this can cause confusion if too many organizations can claim these automatic rights. If multiple automatically authorized parties track the same B/L this becomes an undesirable situation, which can be poorly monitored by you. We advise to use this option very limited and to actively manage it. You can delete parties using the 'Delete' button.

Registering Trusted Inland Operators

This can only be set by Power Users and User Administrators.

Follow the steps above, but in step 2 go to the tab 'Trusted Inland Operators'. At the moment that NO Inland Operators are registered here, every employee of your organization can search for and use a Inland Operator themselves. From the moment that 1 Inland Operators is registered here, all employees of your organization will only be able to choose this Operator. You can register as many Inland Operators as you like.

In this knowledge article, we explain how to pass on a commercial release in a simple manner. We explain the bulk processing of this action further here. You can only apply this article if you have received a commercial release.

Passing on releases

Passing on an releases differs for the role of the chain party that you are going to manage.

Option 1: Are you passing on the release to your inland operator? Then you nominate the inland operator.

Option 2: Are you passing on the exemption to another forwarder? Then you appoint this party as the next Cargo Director. In some cases, this concerns a 'Tranfser' of cargo upon arrival at the terminal.

Nominate Inland Operator

1. Click on the Secure Chain status of your container. You will then see your role and your rights, based on that Cargo Controller shows you which actions you are allowed to do.
2. Click on Nominate Inland Operator. A new screen will open.
3. Enter the organization name of your inland operator and it will be displayed in alphabetical order. If the name appears in multiple versions, you can use the location and/or the unique EAN number of your inland operator as additional recognition. This list shows all carriers registered with PCS, you can reduce this list by activating 'Trusted Inland Operators', this function concerns a so-called 'white list' that limits the choice options to that list. Read more about this later in this article.
4. Click on 'Nominate Inland Operator'. In the screen overview the status of the Secure Chain is now updated and shows a green color.

Assign Cargo Director

1. Click on the Secure Chain status of your container. You will then see your role and your rights, based on that Cargo Controller shows you which actions you are allowed to do.
   
2. Click on 'Assign someone else as director'. A new screen will open.
3. Type in the organization name of the forwarder and it will be shown in alphabetical order. If the name appears in multiple versions, you can use the location and/or the unique CoC number of the forwarder as additional recognition.
4. Click on 'Assign'. In the screen overview the status of the Secure Chain is now updated and shows a green color.

You have are now able to nominate and assign other parties within the Secure Chain.

In this knowledge article we explain how you can receive a commercial release within the Secure Chain, how to recognize this and how to inform yourself. There are 2 ways in which your organization is linked to the Secure Chain (and thus the commercial release).

In order to understand this article properly, we expect you to be familiar with the Secure Chain via this Quick Start Guide and this article. And that you are already familiar with the basic functionalities of CC via the Quick Start Guide and/or this series of articles.

Option 1: You are the 'Release-to party' for this chain and receive the commercial release directly from the shipping company. The Secure Chain cannot start until your organization has been verified by the shipping company. This process is explained in this knowledge article.

Option 2: You have been designated as a 'Cargo Director' for this chain and receive the commercial release from the 'Release-to party' or from another 'Cargo Director'.

Receiving releases

You will receive a commercial release per container. You can recognize this by a container because it shows its status within the Secure Chain in the main screen.

Container without commercial release:

Container with commercial release:

Secure Chain pop-up

Click on the icon and you will see from whom, and when, you have received the commercial release. In the following knowledge article we will explain how to process this.

E-mail notifications

There are a number of email notifications available within Cargo Controller that can warn you if you are not logged in and a commercial release has become available for your organization within the Secure Chain. Read here how to set this up.

The Secure Chain can start in 2 different ways within the logistics process (and therefore also in Cargo Controller):

Option 1: The carrier sends the commercial release directly to my organisation

In that case, you will automatically receive a message from the carriers that they will activate your organisation for the Secure Chain. With that message, they will also send a customer reference number, that number must be registered in Cargo Controller. Read this knowledge article for what you need to do.

Option 2: A client sends the commercial release to my organization

In that case, you will automatically receive a message from the client that his carrier will activate his organisation for the Secure Chain. Your client will ask you to prepare yourself for the first releases that will be passed on to you without a PIN code. You can read more in this article on how to receive and process a commercial release.

Did you miss an option? Discuss this with your client and/or shipping company. Ultimately, all containers imported via Rotterdam will be handled via the Secure Chain.

Before you continue: Inform your supply chain partners about the change you are going to make with each other.

Registering a customer reference number

You need to be a main user or a user manager of your IAM organisation to access these functionalities. Log in to the service Cargo Controller and go to User Menu. Select ' Manage data authorisations'

The screen will open with the tab ' Commercial releases'. Select the carrier, enter the customer reference and click Save.

You will now see the submitted customer reference listed by carriers company name's. The carrier will immediately receive a notification and will review your verification request.

Verification status

As long as your customer code is in the status of 'Pending' or 'Rejected' you cannot start the Secure Chain.

Pending

The carrier has not yet completed your verification, please contact the carrier.

Rejected

Your entered customer code has not been accepted by the carrier. If a customer reference is rejected, an explanation will be provided. If you have any questions about this rejection, we advise you to contact the carrier.

Manage customer references

If you did not enter the customer reference correctly, you can easily delete it. To do so, click the Delete-button in the same screen where you entered the customer reference for verification. You can have several contracts and thus several customer references per carrier, which you can register individually.

Start Portbase Secure Chain

In consultation with the carrier, you then decide from which date, or for which B/Ls, commercial releases will be issued in Cargo Controller via the PCS. Portbase has no part in this process, this is purely between your organisation and the carrier(s). Your customer reference must have the status 'Accepted' before the Secure Chain can start.

This is how you start the Secure Chain

After reading this article, the foundation is laid to receive and process a commercial release. Read our other articles to see how the process continues.

Only together we can make the container release process and hence the logistics chain more secure. The ‘key’ in the form of a PIN code disappears. Each party in the chain authorises the next party in the logistics chain. Only those authorised parties can perform actions and access confidential data.

Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager
The services Cargo Controller and Cargo Release Manager are part of the Secure Chain, a new process to safely and securely share data with each other in the Dutch ports. You need either Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager to enter the Secure Chain and control your chain(s).

With Cargo Controller you get real-time Track & Trace information. You have full control and insight into the cargo, to ensure it is handled correctly and proactively.

With Cargo Release Manager you can view basic cargo information and can direct your chain partners.

The overview below shows the differences between the two services:

* One-time connection fee per service, excl. VAT

Request the service
Will you take part in the Secure Chain and join Europe’s largest port community?
Click here to register and request the Portbase service(s) of your choice.

Support pages

Here you will find practical information on how to expand and use Cargo Controller.

Here you will find practical information on how to use Cargo Release Manager.

Within Cargo Controller, your organisation can be linked to a B/L and the information that becomes available in multiple ways. In this knowledge article, we explain how you can unlock this data and what possibilities we offer in this.

Option 1: Add a B/L yourself
Each user can enter a B/L number via the web screen (or via Cargo Controller API) in combination with at least 1 container number. Based on this data, Portbase retrieves information submitted by the carrier or cargo broker on the import manifest. If this is known, we immediately show all information (and all containers) that Portbase has available at that moment, an "Extended B/L".

B/Ls that you as a user have added yourself are immediately marked as 'Favorite', recognizable by the yellow star in front of the B/L number. B/Ls that your colleagues have added can also be activated as favorites by clicking on the star.

Option 2: Assigned to a B/L
A carrier, a freight broker or a principal can grant a commercial exemption (via Secure Chain) to your organization without your organization tracking the container on the corresponding B/L within Cargo Controller. Based on this data, Portbase retrieves information that is available within the Secure Chain, a "Basic B/L".

Monitor your own work with ease

As explained in our Quick Start Guide, there are filter options available, but also 'Quick Views'. These quick views quickly differentiate in the main screen, such as the quick view "My Cargo" which immediately selects all B/Ls that you have registered as favorites.

In addition, you can add a label for each B/L, a reference that makes it unique for your organization. This also allows for additional distinction in B/Ls and you can also apply a filter to the set labels. Click on the Label icon of the B/L and add unique or recurring labels, these are then saved and with the filter 'Labels' you can filter on these values.

Basic and Extended B/L's

As previously stated, the way your organization is linked to a B/L determines how much information you can see from a B/L. With a Basic B/L, you only see the bare essential information you need for the Secure Chain, this B/L is not attributed to your organization as a paid transaction.

Do you need this information? Then every user can easily retrieve it by clicking the 'Get Access' button. Portbase will then register a paid transaction and immediately provide all available B/L information as you are used to. The B/L that you manually upgrade will be marked as a favorite immediately.

Portbase makes this distinction to avoid unexpected costs because your organization had not actively tracked this B/L.

Goods description

There may be exceptions to the goods description, which means you may or may not be able to view this data.

Option 1:
If your organisation is the first tracker of a B/L, your organisation will be granted the right to view (and manage) the goods information. You can grant requests to view goods description by clicking the "Release goods description" button under B/L details in the Cargo section.

Option 2:
If your organisation is the second tracker of a B/L, your organisation will not see any goods information. The party that blocks this right is stated in the place where the goods description is normally visible.

Option 3:
If your organisation is part of the Chain of Trust, your organisation will be able to see all goods information, regardless of when you are linked in the chain. But in that case you do need to track the Extended B/L.

How do I manage my B/Ls?

With this article you are now fully informed about the different ways of tracking B/Ls and how to filter them. In our other knowledge articles we will go deeper into the import status of your cargo and which data sources are available for this.

Cargo Controller API

The above can also be controlled via our Cargo Controller API, which allows you to fully integrate with your own internal systems. Read more about this here.

Excel up- and download

If your organization is not ready for our Cargo Controller API integration, we also have an interim solution with an Excel upload function. Read more about that here.

The options within Cargo Release Manager are limited. The Secure Chain supports working ahead while the commercial release is not yet available. However, some additional features have not been made available within the Cargo Release Manager service as it is offered free of charge.

That in itself is not a problem, but it is good that you know what the consequences are and what options there are that you may want to use to work more effectively:

Cargo Release Manager:

When you have the role of Release-to Party, you are reactive to the commercial release and therefore slower than you can work ahead in Cargo Controller.
Tip: Registering a Trusted Cargo Director can help you with this, provided your forwarder uses Cargo Controller.

Cargo Controller gratis?

In Cargo Controller you have full insight into the B/L if a B/L is tracked prior to the commercial release, but this will be offset by transaction costs. However, an intermediate step is also possible: In Cargo Controller you can choose not to view additional cargo information, still work reactively to the commercial release, but automate the Trust Chain actions via API without transaction costs. This doesn't change the above scheme except that it no longer requires manual actions from your users.

For more information, read here how this works and contact our Sales department for the possibilities.

Yes, you can register a fixed list of carriers within Cargo Controller and Cargo Release Manager. This can only be set by a main and/or user administrator and has operational consequences for your users.

You cannot automatically nominate inland operators, as this would impact the operational process to much when a scenario occurs that a different inland operators needs to be

Register trusted parties

You can add your logistics partner(s) to your organization as 'Trusted Inland Operators'.

1. Log in Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager, go to user menu > Manage data access.
   
2. You are in Commercial Release. Choose the 'Trusted Inland Operators' tab and here you can select your logistics partners. You can add multiple parties.

Activation: From the moment you register 1 inland operator here, the option to nominate another inland operator is excluded. This list of inland operators must immediately be made as complete as possible. Deviations can then only be updated by main and/or user administrators.

You still have to nominate these parties per container.

Yes that is possible. It is largely the same as tracking new B/Ls via an Excel upload, but you will have to provide more information.

Tracking multiple B/Ls in one go

We also call this a batch upload.
You can enter a maximum of 500 B/Ls in one go with an Excel file.

1. Select ‘Add’.
2. Click the ‘Upload file’ button at the bottom of the ‘Cargo’ section; this will take you to an Excel template.
3. Complete the Excel template with the required data (B/L number, equipment number and optionally your own reference) and save the file.
4. Click ‘Upload file’ and select the Excel file you just saved. Now select ‘Upload’.
5. You will receive a confirmation of all the B/Ls successfully and not successfully added.
   • Successfully added B/Ls are automatically added to Cargo Controller.
   • B/Ls not successfully added do not meet the criteria. An explanation for the rejection will be displayed. You can now manually correct or delete the data.
     If you do so, select Save afterwards. The corrected B/L data will now be added to Cargo Controller.

You have now controlled the Secure Chain in bulk.

After you receive updates on these dates, you can also download a selection and import it into your own systems. Read more about that here.

Additional data sources are available within Cargo Controller that are made available by third parties. So-called add-ons make data available within Cargo Controller under their own conditions. You will mainly find providers of these add-ons in the Portbase Marketplace.

Basics: Carrier data

Based on the import manifest, Cargo Controller shows the most current information that the carrier (shipping agent) makes available based on its ship visit to the Dutch port(s). The reliability and accuracy is at most 4 days before the planned ETA. To improve the basics, the terminal data is considerably more reliable, sometimes up to 14 days before the planned ETA. Cargo Controller provides the carrier data by default, unless other sources are available and your organization meets the conditions. You can read more about these conditions at the bottom of this page.

Am I looking at terminal data or carrier data?

The status screen of Cargo Controller clearly indicates whether the data was supplied by the carrier or by the terminal. The example below shows data from the carrier:

The conditions under which you see data may differ per terminal. Below is an example of the APM Terminals that makes its terminal data available free of charge to all Cargo Controller users:

The conditions that a terminal sets can also result in your organization not seeing any data until these conditions are met. See below an example of an organization that did not have a ECT MyTerminal Free account and therefore did not receive a release confirmation in Cargo Controller:

Terminal dates subject to conditions

Each data owner determines its own conditions for the availability of this data. For example, APM Terminals offers its terminal data free of charge, without any conditions having to be met.

ECT MyTerminal states that every organization must have at least a MyTerminal Free account before the unloading confirmation of the container (ATA Container) becomes visible within Cargo Controller. Additional data that ECT MyTerminal offers (MyTerminal Premium Plus) is also available within Cargo Controller. Read here how your organization can request this from ECT MyTerminal and the options available.

* ECT MyTerminal account applies, some elements depend on the type of subscription.
** ECT and APM Terminals reserve the right to make changes to their terms and conditions.
Those involved will be informed in a timely manner of any changes to the conditions.

Terminal data via API

If your organization meets the conditions, this data is also directly available in our API. This way you can use Cargo Controller API as a single source instead of setting up separate connections. For more information, see our API specifications on our Developer Portal.

If you are already using Cargo Controller, you can have the following activated by your organization's main administrator. For Cargo Controller API users, the steps below are also necessary to complete before you can use our extensive API functions.

Master administrators have access to the PCS-menu option 'Organization management':

In this menu, the main user can issue rights to users by means of User groups. Go to the User Groups tab.

We have added a User Group 'Cargo Controller (Director)' for all existing Cargo Controller users. Click on this title and you can then add colleagues to this group. Click on 'Save' to apply the changes.

A colleague who is already logged in will then have to log out and log in before the extra functionalities are visible in his Cargo Controller environment.

Tip: In this way, we hope that you limit the management of these functionalities to the users who actually use them in their work.

In Cargo Release Manager will inform you can follow the picked up status of you cargo at the terminal:

Import phases

Each indicator will monitor the status concerning a phase in the import flow of the container. It will indicate an overall status, or the must urgent one. All indicators contain a group of specific indicators within these phases:

• Release Transport Equipment
  • Commercial Release status
• Pickup Transport Equipment
  • Inland Nomination status
  • Pre-Notifcation status

As you can see, the 2 indicators will inform you about 3 separate indicators. These 3 indicators are visible when you view the status details via the i-button.

Color and icons

The main indicator will provide you with the overall status of the phase, or the most urgent one within that phase. Their color and icon will read as the following:

• : Status confirmed, all indicators are green.
• : At least one indicator is yellow, your attention may be needed.
• : At least one indicator is red, attention is needed.
• : Status pending, not all indicators are green, none are yellow or red. No attention needed.
• : Status (yet) unknown. There is no update available, a possible update is expected like the ETA. Waiting for update.

With these indicators you will be in control about you cargo. In addition with the filter options in Cargo Release Manager you are now able to manage you cargo by exceptions.

After adding your cargo you will discover the power of Cargo Controller, you are now able to monitor all your cargo based on 3 main indicators. These 3 main indicators represent the 3 phases of the import process that your cargo goes through before you can have it picked up at the terminal. These 3 main indicators are also called 'gates' and our status messages 'milestones'. In this article we explain the statuses, but also how you can apply them to simplify your daily work by working based on exceptions (management by exceptions).

Import phases

Each indicator monitors the status of the import phase your container is currently in. This way, either the general status or the most critical status is shown. An indicator contains a group of specific indicators for that phase:

• Arrival Transport Equipment
  • Vessel Arrival status
  • Import manifest known
  • Discharge at terminal **
  • Vessel departure status
• Release Transport Equipment
  • Customs Inspection status
  • Commercial Release status *
  • Import Declaration status
• Pickup Transport Equipment
  • Inland Nomination status *
  • Pre-Notifcation status *
  • Gate out status */**

* This indicator is only available within the Secure Chain. More information about this can be found in our Quick Start Guide, Factsheet or introduction film.

** This indicator is only available if the terminal makes this data available. Would you like to know more about terminal data within Cargo Controller? Then read more here first.

Legend of the status indicator

As you can see, the 3 indicators are based on 10 individual indicators. You can view this if you press the i icon and open the details screen:

Colors and icons

The main indicator will provide you with the overall status of the phase, or the most urgent one within that phase. Their color and icon will read as the following:

• : Status confirmed, all indicators are green.
• : At least one indicator is yellow, your attention may be needed.
• : At least one indicator is red, attention is needed.
• : Status pending, not all indicators are green, none are yellow or red. No attention needed.
• : Status (yet) unknown. There is no update available, a possible update is expected lika the ETA. Waiting for update.

In de onderstaande stappen gaan we in op hoe je deze statussen kan monitoren via filters e/o e-mailnotificaties aan de hand van een aantal voorbeelden.

Monitoring statuses

In our Quick Start Guide we have already mentioned the filter options within Cargo Controller, in this part we explain a number of them to use to filter out important status updates. This in combination with a number of our supporting email notifications.

Filter 1: Import manifest

Check 'Data not available', all B/Ls that are not known are now shown in the overview. Without a manifest, Cargo Controller cannot share any other status with you. The shipping company is responsible for submitting the import manifest. They must confirm this to the Harbor Master 4 days before ETA.

Tip 1: Always check first that there is no typo in the registered B/L number, that is our number 1 cause for questions in this situation.

Tip 2: Sometimes a B/L may have been wrongly registered on the manifest and subsequently deleted. An email notification is also available for this situation (B/L removed).

Filter 2: Discharge

Check 'Not Discharged' and containers have not yet been confirmed by the terminal. This can arise from various situations, such as a communication disruption between the terminal and Portbase, a cut-and-run situation by the shipping company or your organization at this terminal is not allowed to view this data (see Terminal data).

Tip: An e-mail notification is available that sends an e-mail when the ship has departed, but the discharge confirmation has not yet been received.

Filter 3: Inspection status

Check 'Notified', all containers that Customs has selected for inspection, 'have fallen red', are now shown on the screen.

Or: Check 'Released' to select all containers that were inspected and have now been released by Customs.

Tip: There are e-mail notifications available that send an email when the container has been notified and subsequently released.

Filter 4: Import document

Check 'Unknown', all containers for which no import document (MID) has yet been submitted to the terminal are now shown on the screen.

Tip: An e-mail notification is available that sends an e-mail if no MID has been submitted 6 hours after unloading the container.

Filter 5: Inland operator

Check 'Not nominated', all containers for which no carrier has yet been nominated (Secure Chain action) are now shown on the screen.

You can now track the status of your cargo

Based on this article, you can now easily navigate through the statuses of the cargo and you are in control of the current status. The next steps if a status deviates differ per situation. Read more here how you can set up email notifications.

Select the container(s) you want to assign to another haulier by checking the box to the left of the container line. The Forward button then appears at the bottom of the page. By clicking on it, you can choose which organisation you want to prenotify and transport the selected container(s).

Important! You can select multiple containers at once, but you can only nominate one haulier per forward.

If your haulier is not known in HCN, you cannot select them to nominate them for the Inland operator role. The haulier must first register with Portbase and then choose (one of) the services HCN Road, Rail or Barge. This is how you step into the Portbase Secure Chain.

Should this block further processing of the current container, you have two options:

• Use another haulier that is known to Portbase, or
• the PIN code will be shared with your customer by the shipping company in the usual way.

Important! At most terminals, prenotification by your haulier is mandatory. In time, the option of collecting a container with a PIN code will be withdrawn due to its susceptibility to fraud.

Your customer has revoked your nomination and chosen another haulier for the container(s). You can tell that this is the case because the container is visible in the Handlings dashboard but is no longer visible in Shipments.

If a transport order exists in your own TMS but there is no registration in the PCS, it is no longer valid.

The customer should always inform the haulier of the cancellation or removal of a container in order to avoid a cargo mismatch, because the haulier may have already initiated transport to collect the container.

You need to be a main user or a user manager of your IAM organisation to access these functionalities.

Log in to the service Cargo Controller, or Cargo Release Manager, and go to User Menu. Select ' Manage data authorisations'

The screen will open with the tab ' Commercial releases'. Select the shipping company, enter the customer code and click Save.

You will now see the submitted customer codes listed by carrier company name's. The carrier will immediately receive a notification and will review your verification request.

Start Portbase Secure Chain

In consultation with the carrier, you then decide from which date, or for which B/Ls, commercial releases will be issued in Cargo Controller, or Cargo Release Manager, via the PCS. Portbase has no part in this process, this is purely between your organization and the carrier(s). Your customer code must have the status 'Accepted' before the Secure Chain can start.

Manage customer codes

You can have several customer codes per carrier, which you can register individually. In this tab you can see per carrier which customer codes you have registered and you can also manage these by removing expired customer codes using the 'Delete' button.

As long as your customer code is in the status of 'Pending' or 'Rejected' you cannot start the Secure Chain.

Pending

The carrier has not yet completed your verification, please contact the carrier.

Rejected

Your entered customer code has not been accepted by the carrier. If a customer code is rejected, an explanation will be provided. If you have any questions about this rejection, we advise you to contact the carrier.

Manage customer codes

If you did not enter the customer code correctly, you can easily delete it. To do so, click the Delete-button in the same screen where you entered the customer code for verification.

Start Portbase Secure Chain

In consultation with the carrier, you jointly determine from when the commercial releases will be issued via PCS in Cargo Controller, or Cargo Release Manager. Portbase has no further active role in this, this is done via the shipping company.

Basic functionalities
You can now manage the supply chain to retrieve the relevant containers without PIN code. As usual, you will still receive a delivery note from the carrier by email, but now without a PIN code.

• We have drawn up the following manual for the Secure Chain features within Cargo Controller.
• We have drawn up the following manual for the Secure Chain features within Cargo Release Manager.

On the current page you will find various FAQs per subject and there we will go into more detail on specific steps in managing your logistics chain within the Secure Chain.

When you receive the exemption from the shipping company, you should normally immediately gain insight into the B/L and B/L data. There should be a maximum delay of one hour between the moment of exemption and making it available within our services. Does it take longer than an hour? Then go through these steps before you consult customer service. These steps are listed in order of the most common causes of reported issues at the Customer Service:

1. Correct B/L number: If you already followed the B/L for the release in Cargo Controller, you will receive an update designating you as the 'Release-to party'. Check that you are following the correct B/L number. A release is only given on a B/L that is known via the import manifest, therefor the B/L cannot have the status 'This B/L is not (yet) available'.
   
2. Active filters: A common mistake is if you accidentally have a filter active so that you cannot find the B/L. Check your filters, deactivate them with the 'Clear filters' button and search for your B/L again.
   
3. PCS release: In Cargo Release Manager you can only track cargo from the moment of the release is issued. Be the first to check whether the carrier has sent you a commercial exemption outside PCS. Carriers use the term 'PCS release' or 'release without PIN' for this. If necessary, contact your carrier directly.
   If the carrier has sent the commercial release via PCS and you are the actual 'release-to-party', then you can contact Customer Service. There may be a disturbance or a filter active that causes you to miss the B/L.

If you have gone through the steps above and the result is not changed, please contact our Customer Service and we will help you further.

Both.

Authorize or nominate per container

You can easily authorize another logistics partner per container for the role of 'Cargo director' or nominate a carrier for the role of 'Carrier. Select the -button behind the relevant container and click on 'Transfer cargo director' or 'Nominate inland operator'. You can now select your partner and transfer only this container to your logistics partner.

Please note that you can only transfer the role of 'Cargo director' after you have received the exemption from the shipping company.

Authorize or nominate per B/L

You can nominate or authorize all containers per B/L to a inland operator in one action. Select the -button behind the relevant B/L and click on 'Transfer cargo director' or 'Nominate inland operator'. You can now select your partner and transfer only this container to your logistics partner.

Nominate per B/L

You can nominate all containers per B/L to a inland operator in one action. Select the B/L by checking it and at the top you will now see the button 'Nominate inland operator'.

With the current state of the Portbase Secure Chain we might update this process later based upon feedback from the community. We will inform all users via email and the news updates in the service.

After you have chosen the option 'Transfer cargo director' you will see a pop-up screen. If you start typing the company name of your logistics partner, it would automatically be completed with all organizations known to Portbase.

If your logistics partner is not known in Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager, you cannot select it for the role Cargo director, or Transport director. Your logistics partner must first register with Portbase and make a choice between Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager before you can continue with the Chain of Trust. Should this block your current cargo from further processing, you have two choices:

• Use another logistics provider that is known to Portbase or
• ask the shipping company not to release these B/Ls via the PCS but by sending a PIN code to you and your logistics partner by e-mail.

Important! In time, the option of unloading a container using a PIN code will be withdrawn due to its susceptibility to fraud.

No, this function is not available in the current phase.

We are currently investigating how this can work functionally, we would like to get in touch with you if you have more information about this process. Contact Customer Service and they will put you in touch with one of our colleagues.

Cargo Controller: Yes, you can track the B/L and container(s) in Cargo Controller long before the ship's ETA. But you can only manage the chain by authorizing or nominating a party after the Import manifest is known.

However, the chain will only become active once the commercial release has been granted. Only then can the pre-notification be made at the terminal. Everyone in the chain can receive an update when the commercial release is released.

Cargo Release Manager: No, within Cargo Release Manager you can only access the B/L after the commercial release is issued and then manage the chain.

NB! If the commercial release never follows because another party receives the commercial release or changes the B/L number (due to division), this entire chain will become redundant. You can then delete the B/L data, you can read more about that here.

Yes; in this phase, the Portbase Secure Chain is only concerned with unloading containers without a PIN code. An authorisation or nomination is not yet a legal contract. You still need to bilaterally transfer your underlying agreement to each other.

Revoked release

Just as you can revoke the rights of the next party in the chain, your principal in the chain can also revoke this for you as a release-to-party, director or inland operator.

For example, a carrier can withdraw the entire commercial release for the full chain. At that point, the container will no longer be available for collection until the commercial release has been re-issued again.

Your chain may have already been fully prepared, and this chain is still active at this point. Only without the commercial release your inland operator cannot remove the container. If the carrier re-issues the commercial release, this automatically restores your prepared chain and your inland operator can submit the pre-notification.

The same effect can also arise if the validity of your commercial release has expired. Although this is not yet the case at this stage of the Secure Chain, this may change in the future.

Contact your carrier for a new commercial exemption.

Revoked authorization or nomination

Please contact your client if you are no longer authorized or nominated for this cargo.

Contact your shipping company for a new commercial release or to renew the commercial release.

If your chain was already fully prepared, it will still be active. But without the commercial release, your haulier cannot unload the container. If the shipping company resends the commercial release, this automatically restores the chain you have prepared and your haulier can submit the prenotification.

Yes.

For now you will still need the delivery note for some details that are not yet available in the services within the Portbase Secure Chain, such as empty returns. We are currently working with the shipping companies in order to also be able to display these values to all parties in the chain via the services.

No, you should still contact the shipping company if you are not automatically assigned the commercial release.

No, this data is not available in the Portbase Secure Chain in the current phase. This will follow in a later phase.

Read how to set up e-mail notifications in our instruction manual.

In case you have e-mail notifications configured in Cargo Information, please reconfigure the notifications in Cargo Controller.

The (old) notification settings in cargo information can then be deleted.

In this knowledge article we explain how you can submit a commercial release via various bulk actions for repetitive actions. Like registering (regular, occuring) partners, per B/L, in bulk via Excel uploads or Cargo Controller API. You can only apply this article if you have received a commercial release.

Passing on releases

Passing on an releases differs for the role of the chain party that you are going to manage. We have elaborated on the standard action per container in this article.

Processing releases in bulk

The above are simple actions if you have a limited volume of commercial releases to process. Within the Cargo Controller service there are several options to perform this in bulk, manually, semi-automatically or fully automated.

1. Nominate via multi select
   Select a whole B/L by checking the checkbox for the B/L number. You can do this directly with multiple B/Ls.
   
2. Nominate via multi select and filters
   The fastest way is to use the Quickview 'My Cargo' in combination with the filter 'Inland Operator' on the value 'Not nominated'. You can use additional filters to determine a range. Then check whether all B/Ls that you see in the overview screen are correct and click the checkbox next to the search field. This will select all containers that have not yet been nominated and that fall within your criteria in one go. Then click on 'Nominate Inland Operator' at the top of the screen. Go through the step-by-step plan and you will work on this action in bulk.
   
3. Trusted Cargo Director
   Register your regular forwarder as a chain partner, we call this a 'trusted cargo director'. If the chain partner tracks the same B/L before you receive the commercial release, your partner will immediately be given the role of Cargo Director and can nominate his Inland Operator. Read further on in the article how you can set this up and apply it.
4. Excel up- and download
   Within Cargo Controller it is possible to download all data that you see in the overview screen. In addition, there is also an option to upload up to 500 lines of data. In addition to tracking B/Ls in bulk in this way, you can also nominate and assign in bulk. Read here how you can apply this.
5. Cargo Controller API
   Upon receipt of the commercial release, another party can be appointed as Cargo Director or a carrier can be nominated. Read all about it on our Developer portal of Cargo Controller API. Especially read the 'use cases Secure Chain'.

Registering Trusted Cargo Directors

This can only be set by Power Users and User Administrators.

1. Log in to Cargo Controller, go to user menu > Manage data authorisations.
   
2. Go to the tab 'Trusted Cargo Directors' and here you can register your logistics partners. You can add multiple parties. They will not receive confirmation of this registration.It only works for the B/Ls that you both track in advance and after which your organization receives the release.

Tip: Use this option for a limited number of organizations as this can cause confusion if too many organizations can claim these automatic rights. If multiple automatically authorized parties track the same B/L this becomes an undesirable situation, which can be poorly monitored by you. We advise to use this option very limited and to actively manage it. You can delete parties using the 'Delete' button.

Registering Trusted Inland Operators

This can only be set by Power Users and User Administrators.

Follow the steps above, but in step 2 go to the tab 'Trusted Inland Operators'. At the moment that NO Inland Operators are registered here, every employee of your organization can search for and use a Inland Operator themselves. From the moment that 1 Inland Operators is registered here, all employees of your organization will only be able to choose this Operator. You can register as many Inland Operators as you like.

In this knowledge article, we explain how to pass on a commercial release in a simple manner. We explain the bulk processing of this action further here. You can only apply this article if you have received a commercial release.

Passing on releases

Passing on an releases differs for the role of the chain party that you are going to manage.

Option 1: Are you passing on the release to your inland operator? Then you nominate the inland operator.

Option 2: Are you passing on the exemption to another forwarder? Then you appoint this party as the next Cargo Director. In some cases, this concerns a 'Tranfser' of cargo upon arrival at the terminal.

Nominate Inland Operator

1. Click on the Secure Chain status of your container. You will then see your role and your rights, based on that Cargo Controller shows you which actions you are allowed to do.
2. Click on Nominate Inland Operator. A new screen will open.
3. Enter the organization name of your inland operator and it will be displayed in alphabetical order. If the name appears in multiple versions, you can use the location and/or the unique EAN number of your inland operator as additional recognition. This list shows all carriers registered with PCS, you can reduce this list by activating 'Trusted Inland Operators', this function concerns a so-called 'white list' that limits the choice options to that list. Read more about this later in this article.
4. Click on 'Nominate Inland Operator'. In the screen overview the status of the Secure Chain is now updated and shows a green color.

Assign Cargo Director

1. Click on the Secure Chain status of your container. You will then see your role and your rights, based on that Cargo Controller shows you which actions you are allowed to do.
   
2. Click on 'Assign someone else as director'. A new screen will open.
3. Type in the organization name of the forwarder and it will be shown in alphabetical order. If the name appears in multiple versions, you can use the location and/or the unique CoC number of the forwarder as additional recognition.
4. Click on 'Assign'. In the screen overview the status of the Secure Chain is now updated and shows a green color.

You have are now able to nominate and assign other parties within the Secure Chain.

In this knowledge article we explain how you can receive a commercial release within the Secure Chain, how to recognize this and how to inform yourself. There are 2 ways in which your organization is linked to the Secure Chain (and thus the commercial release).

In order to understand this article properly, we expect you to be familiar with the Secure Chain via this Quick Start Guide and this article. And that you are already familiar with the basic functionalities of CC via the Quick Start Guide and/or this series of articles.

Option 1: You are the 'Release-to party' for this chain and receive the commercial release directly from the shipping company. The Secure Chain cannot start until your organization has been verified by the shipping company. This process is explained in this knowledge article.

Option 2: You have been designated as a 'Cargo Director' for this chain and receive the commercial release from the 'Release-to party' or from another 'Cargo Director'.

Receiving releases

You will receive a commercial release per container. You can recognize this by a container because it shows its status within the Secure Chain in the main screen.

Container without commercial release:

Container with commercial release:

Secure Chain pop-up

Click on the icon and you will see from whom, and when, you have received the commercial release. In the following knowledge article we will explain how to process this.

E-mail notifications

There are a number of email notifications available within Cargo Controller that can warn you if you are not logged in and a commercial release has become available for your organization within the Secure Chain. Read here how to set this up.

The Secure Chain can start in 2 different ways within the logistics process (and therefore also in Cargo Controller):

Option 1: The carrier sends the commercial release directly to my organisation

In that case, you will automatically receive a message from the carriers that they will activate your organisation for the Secure Chain. With that message, they will also send a customer reference number, that number must be registered in Cargo Controller. Read this knowledge article for what you need to do.

Option 2: A client sends the commercial release to my organization

In that case, you will automatically receive a message from the client that his carrier will activate his organisation for the Secure Chain. Your client will ask you to prepare yourself for the first releases that will be passed on to you without a PIN code. You can read more in this article on how to receive and process a commercial release.

Did you miss an option? Discuss this with your client and/or shipping company. Ultimately, all containers imported via Rotterdam will be handled via the Secure Chain.

Before you continue: Inform your supply chain partners about the change you are going to make with each other.

Registering a customer reference number

You need to be a main user or a user manager of your IAM organisation to access these functionalities. Log in to the service Cargo Controller and go to User Menu. Select ' Manage data authorisations'

The screen will open with the tab ' Commercial releases'. Select the carrier, enter the customer reference and click Save.

You will now see the submitted customer reference listed by carriers company name's. The carrier will immediately receive a notification and will review your verification request.

Verification status

As long as your customer code is in the status of 'Pending' or 'Rejected' you cannot start the Secure Chain.

Pending

The carrier has not yet completed your verification, please contact the carrier.

Rejected

Your entered customer code has not been accepted by the carrier. If a customer reference is rejected, an explanation will be provided. If you have any questions about this rejection, we advise you to contact the carrier.

Manage customer references

If you did not enter the customer reference correctly, you can easily delete it. To do so, click the Delete-button in the same screen where you entered the customer reference for verification. You can have several contracts and thus several customer references per carrier, which you can register individually.

Start Portbase Secure Chain

In consultation with the carrier, you then decide from which date, or for which B/Ls, commercial releases will be issued in Cargo Controller via the PCS. Portbase has no part in this process, this is purely between your organisation and the carrier(s). Your customer reference must have the status 'Accepted' before the Secure Chain can start.

This is how you start the Secure Chain

After reading this article, the foundation is laid to receive and process a commercial release. Read our other articles to see how the process continues.

Only together we can make the container release process and hence the logistics chain more secure. The ‘key’ in the form of a PIN code disappears. Each party in the chain authorises the next party in the logistics chain. Only those authorised parties can perform actions and access confidential data.

Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager
The services Cargo Controller and Cargo Release Manager are part of the Secure Chain, a new process to safely and securely share data with each other in the Dutch ports. You need either Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager to enter the Secure Chain and control your chain(s).

With Cargo Controller you get real-time Track & Trace information. You have full control and insight into the cargo, to ensure it is handled correctly and proactively.

With Cargo Release Manager you can view basic cargo information and can direct your chain partners.

The overview below shows the differences between the two services:

* One-time connection fee per service, excl. VAT

Request the service
Will you take part in the Secure Chain and join Europe’s largest port community?
Click here to register and request the Portbase service(s) of your choice.

Support pages

Here you will find practical information on how to expand and use Cargo Controller.

Here you will find practical information on how to use Cargo Release Manager.

Within Cargo Controller, your organisation can be linked to a B/L and the information that becomes available in multiple ways. In this knowledge article, we explain how you can unlock this data and what possibilities we offer in this.

Option 1: Add a B/L yourself
Each user can enter a B/L number via the web screen (or via Cargo Controller API) in combination with at least 1 container number. Based on this data, Portbase retrieves information submitted by the carrier or cargo broker on the import manifest. If this is known, we immediately show all information (and all containers) that Portbase has available at that moment, an "Extended B/L".

B/Ls that you as a user have added yourself are immediately marked as 'Favorite', recognizable by the yellow star in front of the B/L number. B/Ls that your colleagues have added can also be activated as favorites by clicking on the star.

Option 2: Assigned to a B/L
A carrier, a freight broker or a principal can grant a commercial exemption (via Secure Chain) to your organization without your organization tracking the container on the corresponding B/L within Cargo Controller. Based on this data, Portbase retrieves information that is available within the Secure Chain, a "Basic B/L".

Monitor your own work with ease

As explained in our Quick Start Guide, there are filter options available, but also 'Quick Views'. These quick views quickly differentiate in the main screen, such as the quick view "My Cargo" which immediately selects all B/Ls that you have registered as favorites.

In addition, you can add a label for each B/L, a reference that makes it unique for your organization. This also allows for additional distinction in B/Ls and you can also apply a filter to the set labels. Click on the Label icon of the B/L and add unique or recurring labels, these are then saved and with the filter 'Labels' you can filter on these values.

Basic and Extended B/L's

As previously stated, the way your organization is linked to a B/L determines how much information you can see from a B/L. With a Basic B/L, you only see the bare essential information you need for the Secure Chain, this B/L is not attributed to your organization as a paid transaction.

Do you need this information? Then every user can easily retrieve it by clicking the 'Get Access' button. Portbase will then register a paid transaction and immediately provide all available B/L information as you are used to. The B/L that you manually upgrade will be marked as a favorite immediately.

Portbase makes this distinction to avoid unexpected costs because your organization had not actively tracked this B/L.

Goods description

There may be exceptions to the goods description, which means you may or may not be able to view this data.

Option 1:
If your organisation is the first tracker of a B/L, your organisation will be granted the right to view (and manage) the goods information. You can grant requests to view goods description by clicking the "Release goods description" button under B/L details in the Cargo section.

Option 2:
If your organisation is the second tracker of a B/L, your organisation will not see any goods information. The party that blocks this right is stated in the place where the goods description is normally visible.

Option 3:
If your organisation is part of the Chain of Trust, your organisation will be able to see all goods information, regardless of when you are linked in the chain. But in that case you do need to track the Extended B/L.

How do I manage my B/Ls?

With this article you are now fully informed about the different ways of tracking B/Ls and how to filter them. In our other knowledge articles we will go deeper into the import status of your cargo and which data sources are available for this.

Cargo Controller API

The above can also be controlled via our Cargo Controller API, which allows you to fully integrate with your own internal systems. Read more about this here.

Excel up- and download

If your organization is not ready for our Cargo Controller API integration, we also have an interim solution with an Excel upload function. Read more about that here.

The options within Cargo Release Manager are limited. The Secure Chain supports working ahead while the commercial release is not yet available. However, some additional features have not been made available within the Cargo Release Manager service as it is offered free of charge.

That in itself is not a problem, but it is good that you know what the consequences are and what options there are that you may want to use to work more effectively:

Cargo Release Manager:

When you have the role of Release-to Party, you are reactive to the commercial release and therefore slower than you can work ahead in Cargo Controller.
Tip: Registering a Trusted Cargo Director can help you with this, provided your forwarder uses Cargo Controller.

Cargo Controller gratis?

In Cargo Controller you have full insight into the B/L if a B/L is tracked prior to the commercial release, but this will be offset by transaction costs. However, an intermediate step is also possible: In Cargo Controller you can choose not to view additional cargo information, still work reactively to the commercial release, but automate the Trust Chain actions via API without transaction costs. This doesn't change the above scheme except that it no longer requires manual actions from your users.

For more information, read here how this works and contact our Sales department for the possibilities.

Yes, you can register a fixed list of carriers within Cargo Controller and Cargo Release Manager. This can only be set by a main and/or user administrator and has operational consequences for your users.

You cannot automatically nominate inland operators, as this would impact the operational process to much when a scenario occurs that a different inland operators needs to be

Register trusted parties

You can add your logistics partner(s) to your organization as 'Trusted Inland Operators'.

1. Log in Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager, go to user menu > Manage data access.
   
2. You are in Commercial Release. Choose the 'Trusted Inland Operators' tab and here you can select your logistics partners. You can add multiple parties.

Activation: From the moment you register 1 inland operator here, the option to nominate another inland operator is excluded. This list of inland operators must immediately be made as complete as possible. Deviations can then only be updated by main and/or user administrators.

You still have to nominate these parties per container.

Yes that is possible. It is largely the same as tracking new B/Ls via an Excel upload, but you will have to provide more information.

Tracking multiple B/Ls in one go

We also call this a batch upload.
You can enter a maximum of 500 B/Ls in one go with an Excel file.

1. Select ‘Add’.
2. Click the ‘Upload file’ button at the bottom of the ‘Cargo’ section; this will take you to an Excel template.
3. Complete the Excel template with the required data (B/L number, equipment number and optionally your own reference) and save the file.
4. Click ‘Upload file’ and select the Excel file you just saved. Now select ‘Upload’.
5. You will receive a confirmation of all the B/Ls successfully and not successfully added.
   • Successfully added B/Ls are automatically added to Cargo Controller.
   • B/Ls not successfully added do not meet the criteria. An explanation for the rejection will be displayed. You can now manually correct or delete the data.
     If you do so, select Save afterwards. The corrected B/L data will now be added to Cargo Controller.

You have now controlled the Secure Chain in bulk.

After you receive updates on these dates, you can also download a selection and import it into your own systems. Read more about that here.

Additional data sources are available within Cargo Controller that are made available by third parties. So-called add-ons make data available within Cargo Controller under their own conditions. You will mainly find providers of these add-ons in the Portbase Marketplace.

Basics: Carrier data

Based on the import manifest, Cargo Controller shows the most current information that the carrier (shipping agent) makes available based on its ship visit to the Dutch port(s). The reliability and accuracy is at most 4 days before the planned ETA. To improve the basics, the terminal data is considerably more reliable, sometimes up to 14 days before the planned ETA. Cargo Controller provides the carrier data by default, unless other sources are available and your organization meets the conditions. You can read more about these conditions at the bottom of this page.

Am I looking at terminal data or carrier data?

The status screen of Cargo Controller clearly indicates whether the data was supplied by the carrier or by the terminal. The example below shows data from the carrier:

The conditions under which you see data may differ per terminal. Below is an example of the APM Terminals that makes its terminal data available free of charge to all Cargo Controller users:

The conditions that a terminal sets can also result in your organization not seeing any data until these conditions are met. See below an example of an organization that did not have a ECT MyTerminal Free account and therefore did not receive a release confirmation in Cargo Controller:

Terminal dates subject to conditions

Each data owner determines its own conditions for the availability of this data. For example, APM Terminals offers its terminal data free of charge, without any conditions having to be met.

ECT MyTerminal states that every organization must have at least a MyTerminal Free account before the unloading confirmation of the container (ATA Container) becomes visible within Cargo Controller. Additional data that ECT MyTerminal offers (MyTerminal Premium Plus) is also available within Cargo Controller. Read here how your organization can request this from ECT MyTerminal and the options available.

* ECT MyTerminal account applies, some elements depend on the type of subscription.
** ECT and APM Terminals reserve the right to make changes to their terms and conditions.
Those involved will be informed in a timely manner of any changes to the conditions.

Terminal data via API

If your organization meets the conditions, this data is also directly available in our API. This way you can use Cargo Controller API as a single source instead of setting up separate connections. For more information, see our API specifications on our Developer Portal.

If you are already using Cargo Controller, you can have the following activated by your organization's main administrator. For Cargo Controller API users, the steps below are also necessary to complete before you can use our extensive API functions.

Master administrators have access to the PCS-menu option 'Organization management':

In this menu, the main user can issue rights to users by means of User groups. Go to the User Groups tab.

We have added a User Group 'Cargo Controller (Director)' for all existing Cargo Controller users. Click on this title and you can then add colleagues to this group. Click on 'Save' to apply the changes.

A colleague who is already logged in will then have to log out and log in before the extra functionalities are visible in his Cargo Controller environment.

Tip: In this way, we hope that you limit the management of these functionalities to the users who actually use them in their work.

In Cargo Release Manager will inform you can follow the picked up status of you cargo at the terminal:

Import phases

Each indicator will monitor the status concerning a phase in the import flow of the container. It will indicate an overall status, or the must urgent one. All indicators contain a group of specific indicators within these phases:

• Release Transport Equipment
  • Commercial Release status
• Pickup Transport Equipment
  • Inland Nomination status
  • Pre-Notifcation status

As you can see, the 2 indicators will inform you about 3 separate indicators. These 3 indicators are visible when you view the status details via the i-button.

Color and icons

The main indicator will provide you with the overall status of the phase, or the most urgent one within that phase. Their color and icon will read as the following:

• : Status confirmed, all indicators are green.
• : At least one indicator is yellow, your attention may be needed.
• : At least one indicator is red, attention is needed.
• : Status pending, not all indicators are green, none are yellow or red. No attention needed.
• : Status (yet) unknown. There is no update available, a possible update is expected like the ETA. Waiting for update.

With these indicators you will be in control about you cargo. In addition with the filter options in Cargo Release Manager you are now able to manage you cargo by exceptions.

After adding your cargo you will discover the power of Cargo Controller, you are now able to monitor all your cargo based on 3 main indicators. These 3 main indicators represent the 3 phases of the import process that your cargo goes through before you can have it picked up at the terminal. These 3 main indicators are also called 'gates' and our status messages 'milestones'. In this article we explain the statuses, but also how you can apply them to simplify your daily work by working based on exceptions (management by exceptions).

Import phases

Each indicator monitors the status of the import phase your container is currently in. This way, either the general status or the most critical status is shown. An indicator contains a group of specific indicators for that phase:

• Arrival Transport Equipment
  • Vessel Arrival status
  • Import manifest known
  • Discharge at terminal **
  • Vessel departure status
• Release Transport Equipment
  • Customs Inspection status
  • Commercial Release status *
  • Import Declaration status
• Pickup Transport Equipment
  • Inland Nomination status *
  • Pre-Notifcation status *
  • Gate out status */**

* This indicator is only available within the Secure Chain. More information about this can be found in our Quick Start Guide, Factsheet or introduction film.

** This indicator is only available if the terminal makes this data available. Would you like to know more about terminal data within Cargo Controller? Then read more here first.

Legend of the status indicator

As you can see, the 3 indicators are based on 10 individual indicators. You can view this if you press the i icon and open the details screen:

Colors and icons

The main indicator will provide you with the overall status of the phase, or the most urgent one within that phase. Their color and icon will read as the following:

• : Status confirmed, all indicators are green.
• : At least one indicator is yellow, your attention may be needed.
• : At least one indicator is red, attention is needed.
• : Status pending, not all indicators are green, none are yellow or red. No attention needed.
• : Status (yet) unknown. There is no update available, a possible update is expected lika the ETA. Waiting for update.

In de onderstaande stappen gaan we in op hoe je deze statussen kan monitoren via filters e/o e-mailnotificaties aan de hand van een aantal voorbeelden.

Monitoring statuses

In our Quick Start Guide we have already mentioned the filter options within Cargo Controller, in this part we explain a number of them to use to filter out important status updates. This in combination with a number of our supporting email notifications.

Filter 1: Import manifest

Check 'Data not available', all B/Ls that are not known are now shown in the overview. Without a manifest, Cargo Controller cannot share any other status with you. The shipping company is responsible for submitting the import manifest. They must confirm this to the Harbor Master 4 days before ETA.

Tip 1: Always check first that there is no typo in the registered B/L number, that is our number 1 cause for questions in this situation.

Tip 2: Sometimes a B/L may have been wrongly registered on the manifest and subsequently deleted. An email notification is also available for this situation (B/L removed).

Filter 2: Discharge

Check 'Not Discharged' and containers have not yet been confirmed by the terminal. This can arise from various situations, such as a communication disruption between the terminal and Portbase, a cut-and-run situation by the shipping company or your organization at this terminal is not allowed to view this data (see Terminal data).

Tip: An e-mail notification is available that sends an e-mail when the ship has departed, but the discharge confirmation has not yet been received.

Filter 3: Inspection status

Check 'Notified', all containers that Customs has selected for inspection, 'have fallen red', are now shown on the screen.

Or: Check 'Released' to select all containers that were inspected and have now been released by Customs.

Tip: There are e-mail notifications available that send an email when the container has been notified and subsequently released.

Filter 4: Import document

Check 'Unknown', all containers for which no import document (MID) has yet been submitted to the terminal are now shown on the screen.

Tip: An e-mail notification is available that sends an e-mail if no MID has been submitted 6 hours after unloading the container.

Filter 5: Inland operator

Check 'Not nominated', all containers for which no carrier has yet been nominated (Secure Chain action) are now shown on the screen.

You can now track the status of your cargo

Based on this article, you can now easily navigate through the statuses of the cargo and you are in control of the current status. The next steps if a status deviates differ per situation. Read more here how you can set up email notifications.

Select the container(s) you want to assign to another haulier by checking the box to the left of the container line. The Forward button then appears at the bottom of the page. By clicking on it, you can choose which organisation you want to prenotify and transport the selected container(s).

Important! You can select multiple containers at once, but you can only nominate one haulier per forward.

If your haulier is not known in HCN, you cannot select them to nominate them for the Inland operator role. The haulier must first register with Portbase and then choose (one of) the services HCN Road, Rail or Barge. This is how you step into the Portbase Secure Chain.

Should this block further processing of the current container, you have two options:

• Use another haulier that is known to Portbase, or
• the PIN code will be shared with your customer by the shipping company in the usual way.

Important! At most terminals, prenotification by your haulier is mandatory. In time, the option of collecting a container with a PIN code will be withdrawn due to its susceptibility to fraud.

Your customer has revoked your nomination and chosen another haulier for the container(s). You can tell that this is the case because the container is visible in the Handlings dashboard but is no longer visible in Shipments.

If a transport order exists in your own TMS but there is no registration in the PCS, it is no longer valid.

The customer should always inform the haulier of the cancellation or removal of a container in order to avoid a cargo mismatch, because the haulier may have already initiated transport to collect the container.

You need to be a main user or a user manager of your IAM organisation to access these functionalities.

Log in to the service Cargo Controller, or Cargo Release Manager, and go to User Menu. Select ' Manage data authorisations'

The screen will open with the tab ' Commercial releases'. Select the shipping company, enter the customer code and click Save.

You will now see the submitted customer codes listed by carrier company name's. The carrier will immediately receive a notification and will review your verification request.

Start Portbase Secure Chain

In consultation with the carrier, you then decide from which date, or for which B/Ls, commercial releases will be issued in Cargo Controller, or Cargo Release Manager, via the PCS. Portbase has no part in this process, this is purely between your organization and the carrier(s). Your customer code must have the status 'Accepted' before the Secure Chain can start.

Manage customer codes

You can have several customer codes per carrier, which you can register individually. In this tab you can see per carrier which customer codes you have registered and you can also manage these by removing expired customer codes using the 'Delete' button.

As long as your customer code is in the status of 'Pending' or 'Rejected' you cannot start the Secure Chain.

Pending

The carrier has not yet completed your verification, please contact the carrier.

Rejected

Your entered customer code has not been accepted by the carrier. If a customer code is rejected, an explanation will be provided. If you have any questions about this rejection, we advise you to contact the carrier.

Manage customer codes

If you did not enter the customer code correctly, you can easily delete it. To do so, click the Delete-button in the same screen where you entered the customer code for verification.

Start Portbase Secure Chain

In consultation with the carrier, you jointly determine from when the commercial releases will be issued via PCS in Cargo Controller, or Cargo Release Manager. Portbase has no further active role in this, this is done via the shipping company.

Basic functionalities
You can now manage the supply chain to retrieve the relevant containers without PIN code. As usual, you will still receive a delivery note from the carrier by email, but now without a PIN code.

• We have drawn up the following manual for the Secure Chain features within Cargo Controller.
• We have drawn up the following manual for the Secure Chain features within Cargo Release Manager.

On the current page you will find various FAQs per subject and there we will go into more detail on specific steps in managing your logistics chain within the Secure Chain.

When you receive the exemption from the shipping company, you should normally immediately gain insight into the B/L and B/L data. There should be a maximum delay of one hour between the moment of exemption and making it available within our services. Does it take longer than an hour? Then go through these steps before you consult customer service. These steps are listed in order of the most common causes of reported issues at the Customer Service:

1. Correct B/L number: If you already followed the B/L for the release in Cargo Controller, you will receive an update designating you as the 'Release-to party'. Check that you are following the correct B/L number. A release is only given on a B/L that is known via the import manifest, therefor the B/L cannot have the status 'This B/L is not (yet) available'.
   
2. Active filters: A common mistake is if you accidentally have a filter active so that you cannot find the B/L. Check your filters, deactivate them with the 'Clear filters' button and search for your B/L again.
   
3. PCS release: In Cargo Release Manager you can only track cargo from the moment of the release is issued. Be the first to check whether the carrier has sent you a commercial exemption outside PCS. Carriers use the term 'PCS release' or 'release without PIN' for this. If necessary, contact your carrier directly.
   If the carrier has sent the commercial release via PCS and you are the actual 'release-to-party', then you can contact Customer Service. There may be a disturbance or a filter active that causes you to miss the B/L.

If you have gone through the steps above and the result is not changed, please contact our Customer Service and we will help you further.

Both.

Authorize or nominate per container

You can easily authorize another logistics partner per container for the role of 'Cargo director' or nominate a carrier for the role of 'Carrier. Select the -button behind the relevant container and click on 'Transfer cargo director' or 'Nominate inland operator'. You can now select your partner and transfer only this container to your logistics partner.

Please note that you can only transfer the role of 'Cargo director' after you have received the exemption from the shipping company.

Authorize or nominate per B/L

You can nominate or authorize all containers per B/L to a inland operator in one action. Select the -button behind the relevant B/L and click on 'Transfer cargo director' or 'Nominate inland operator'. You can now select your partner and transfer only this container to your logistics partner.

Nominate per B/L

You can nominate all containers per B/L to a inland operator in one action. Select the B/L by checking it and at the top you will now see the button 'Nominate inland operator'.

With the current state of the Portbase Secure Chain we might update this process later based upon feedback from the community. We will inform all users via email and the news updates in the service.

After you have chosen the option 'Transfer cargo director' you will see a pop-up screen. If you start typing the company name of your logistics partner, it would automatically be completed with all organizations known to Portbase.

If your logistics partner is not known in Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager, you cannot select it for the role Cargo director, or Transport director. Your logistics partner must first register with Portbase and make a choice between Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager before you can continue with the Chain of Trust. Should this block your current cargo from further processing, you have two choices:

• Use another logistics provider that is known to Portbase or
• ask the shipping company not to release these B/Ls via the PCS but by sending a PIN code to you and your logistics partner by e-mail.

Important! In time, the option of unloading a container using a PIN code will be withdrawn due to its susceptibility to fraud.

No, this function is not available in the current phase.

We are currently investigating how this can work functionally, we would like to get in touch with you if you have more information about this process. Contact Customer Service and they will put you in touch with one of our colleagues.

Cargo Controller: Yes, you can track the B/L and container(s) in Cargo Controller long before the ship's ETA. But you can only manage the chain by authorizing or nominating a party after the Import manifest is known.

However, the chain will only become active once the commercial release has been granted. Only then can the pre-notification be made at the terminal. Everyone in the chain can receive an update when the commercial release is released.

Cargo Release Manager: No, within Cargo Release Manager you can only access the B/L after the commercial release is issued and then manage the chain.

NB! If the commercial release never follows because another party receives the commercial release or changes the B/L number (due to division), this entire chain will become redundant. You can then delete the B/L data, you can read more about that here.

Yes; in this phase, the Portbase Secure Chain is only concerned with unloading containers without a PIN code. An authorisation or nomination is not yet a legal contract. You still need to bilaterally transfer your underlying agreement to each other.

Revoked release

Just as you can revoke the rights of the next party in the chain, your principal in the chain can also revoke this for you as a release-to-party, director or inland operator.

For example, a carrier can withdraw the entire commercial release for the full chain. At that point, the container will no longer be available for collection until the commercial release has been re-issued again.

Your chain may have already been fully prepared, and this chain is still active at this point. Only without the commercial release your inland operator cannot remove the container. If the carrier re-issues the commercial release, this automatically restores your prepared chain and your inland operator can submit the pre-notification.

The same effect can also arise if the validity of your commercial release has expired. Although this is not yet the case at this stage of the Secure Chain, this may change in the future.

Contact your carrier for a new commercial exemption.

Revoked authorization or nomination

Please contact your client if you are no longer authorized or nominated for this cargo.

Contact your shipping company for a new commercial release or to renew the commercial release.

If your chain was already fully prepared, it will still be active. But without the commercial release, your haulier cannot unload the container. If the shipping company resends the commercial release, this automatically restores the chain you have prepared and your haulier can submit the prenotification.

Yes.

For now you will still need the delivery note for some details that are not yet available in the services within the Portbase Secure Chain, such as empty returns. We are currently working with the shipping companies in order to also be able to display these values to all parties in the chain via the services.

No, you should still contact the shipping company if you are not automatically assigned the commercial release.

No, in the current phase, the Portbase Secure Chain is only in place for the import flow of containers.

No, this data is not available in the Portbase Secure Chain in the current phase. This will follow in a later phase.

Read how to set up e-mail notifications in our instruction manual.

In case you have e-mail notifications configured in Cargo Information, please reconfigure the notifications in Cargo Controller.

The (old) notification settings in cargo information can then be deleted.

Only together we can make the container release process and hence the logistics chain more secure. The ‘key’ in the form of a PIN code disappears. Each party in the chain authorises the next party in the logistics chain. Only those authorised parties can perform actions and access confidential data.

Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager
The services Cargo Controller and Cargo Release Manager are part of the Secure Chain, a new process to safely and securely share data with each other in the Dutch ports. You need either Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager to enter the Secure Chain and control your chain(s).

With Cargo Controller you get real-time Track & Trace information. You have full control and insight into the cargo, to ensure it is handled correctly and proactively.

With Cargo Release Manager you can view basic cargo information and can direct your chain partners.

The overview below shows the differences between the two services:

* One-time connection fee per service, excl. VAT

Request the service
Will you take part in the Secure Chain and join Europe’s largest port community?
Click here to register and request the Portbase service(s) of your choice.

Support pages

Here you will find practical information on how to expand and use Cargo Controller.

Here you will find practical information on how to use Cargo Release Manager.

Yes. An email notification can be activated for cargo agents in the Inspection Portal: “customs physical inspection in external warehouse”. This is essentially the same email as 'inspection notified', but only for physical checks. Specifically for customs inspections in the external customs warehouse (“Fyco – DCL”), a timely assignment to the carrier for transport to the DCL can significantly shorten the lead time.

NB! This method only applies to physical checks in the introduction process, known in the Inspection Portal as “Fyco - DCL”. The method does not work for outgoing cargo and not for inspections by other inspection bodies.

Step 1: Coordinate transport order procedure

As a loading agent you can have this email notification sent to your carrier (e.g. Maasvlakte Transport). As soon as customs announces a physical inspection, an email will be sent directly to the carrier from now on. In consultation with your carrier, you can regard these emails as an order for transport, so that the carrier can immediately schedule the container for transport.

Step 2: Set up email communications

This step should only set up 1 user from your organization.

1. Log in to the Port Community System
2. In the main screen, select 'Notification management'
   
3. Enter the email address of your carrier under “customs physical inspection in external warehouse”.
   
4. There is no 'save' button. Click on the Portbase logo at the top left, you will return to the main screen

From now on, your carrier will receive e-mail messages if your cargo has been selected for customs physical inspection in the external warehouse.

Yes, you can register a fixed list of carriers within Cargo Controller and Cargo Release Manager. This can only be set by a main and/or user administrator and has operational consequences for your users.

You cannot automatically nominate inland operators, as this would impact the operational process to much when a scenario occurs that a different inland operators needs to be

Register trusted parties

You can add your logistics partner(s) to your organization as 'Trusted Inland Operators'.

1. Log in Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager, go to user menu > Manage data access.
   
2. You are in Commercial Release. Choose the 'Trusted Inland Operators' tab and here you can select your logistics partners. You can add multiple parties.

Activation: From the moment you register 1 inland operator here, the option to nominate another inland operator is excluded. This list of inland operators must immediately be made as complete as possible. Deviations can then only be updated by main and/or user administrators.

You still have to nominate these parties per container.

If you are already using Cargo Controller, you can have the following activated by your organization's main administrator. For Cargo Controller API users, the steps below are also necessary to complete before you can use our extensive API functions.

Master administrators have access to the PCS-menu option 'Organization management':

In this menu, the main user can issue rights to users by means of User groups. Go to the User Groups tab.

We have added a User Group 'Cargo Controller (Director)' for all existing Cargo Controller users. Click on this title and you can then add colleagues to this group. Click on 'Save' to apply the changes.

A colleague who is already logged in will then have to log out and log in before the extra functionalities are visible in his Cargo Controller environment.

Tip: In this way, we hope that you limit the management of these functionalities to the users who actually use them in their work.

Select the container(s) you want to assign to another haulier by checking the box to the left of the container line. The Forward button then appears at the bottom of the page. By clicking on it, you can choose which organisation you want to prenotify and transport the selected container(s).

Important! You can select multiple containers at once, but you can only nominate one haulier per forward.

If your haulier is not known in HCN, you cannot select them to nominate them for the Inland operator role. The haulier must first register with Portbase and then choose (one of) the services HCN Road, Rail or Barge. This is how you step into the Portbase Secure Chain.

Should this block further processing of the current container, you have two options:

• Use another haulier that is known to Portbase, or
• the PIN code will be shared with your customer by the shipping company in the usual way.

Important! At most terminals, prenotification by your haulier is mandatory. In time, the option of collecting a container with a PIN code will be withdrawn due to its susceptibility to fraud.

Yes; in this phase, the Portbase Secure Chain is only concerned with collecting containers without a PIN code. Other information required for transport must be shared with the haulier outside the PCS. When downloading container information, you can see what information is available within the PCS and HCN.

The party that made the nomination can also revoke the nomination. They can do so for one or more containers. To do this, click on the selection box(es) for the appropriate container(s) and click the Cancel shipment button. The nomination has now been revoked for the selected container(s) and there is no longer an active haulier. You can now nominate another haulier.

Important! If you revoke the nomination of a subcontractor, it is important to revoke the transport order first to avoid unnecessary charges.

Your customer has revoked your nomination and chosen another haulier for the container(s). You can tell that this is the case because the container is visible in the Handlings dashboard but is no longer visible in Shipments.

If a transport order exists in your own TMS but there is no registration in the PCS, it is no longer valid.

The customer should always inform the haulier of the cancellation or removal of a container in order to avoid a cargo mismatch, because the haulier may have already initiated transport to collect the container.

All containers are listed under the Handlings tab. Under the Shipments tab, you see only the containers assigned to you via the Portbase Secure Chain by means of nomination. What you do next depends on your situation:

• If you are performing the prenotification and transport of the container(s) yourself, or outsourcing transport, there is no change to your current workflow. If another party is performing the transport for you, please read the instructions for ECT Remote Check-in.

• New! If you outsource both the prenotification and collection of the container(s), an additional step will be added to your workflow. You need to nominate and register another haulier for your container(s) in the Shipments dashboard, under Shipments, by clicking the Forward button.

You now have two options, depending on your situation:

1. If you perform the prenotification yourself and outsource the collection of the container, you can arrange this via Handlings. There is no change to your current workflow. If another party is performing the transport for you, please read the instructions for ECT Remote Check-in.
2. If you wish to nominate another haulier for both prenotification and collection of the container, please arrange this via Shipments. You need to nominate and register another haulier for your container(s) in the Shipments dashboard, under Shipments, by clicking the Forward button.

By means of these actions, your haulier is added to the Portbase Secure Chain and all CargoCards linked to this organisation will be recognised. Failure to do this will result in the haulier being denied access to the terminal. If the commercial release has been issued, you can submit the prenotification.

You need to be a main user or a user manager of your IAM organisation to access these functionalities.

Log in to the service Cargo Controller, or Cargo Release Manager, and go to User Menu. Select ' Manage data authorisations'

The screen will open with the tab ' Commercial releases'. Select the shipping company, enter the customer code and click Save.

You will now see the submitted customer codes listed by carrier company name's. The carrier will immediately receive a notification and will review your verification request.

Start Portbase Secure Chain

In consultation with the carrier, you then decide from which date, or for which B/Ls, commercial releases will be issued in Cargo Controller, or Cargo Release Manager, via the PCS. Portbase has no part in this process, this is purely between your organization and the carrier(s). Your customer code must have the status 'Accepted' before the Secure Chain can start.

Manage customer codes

You can have several customer codes per carrier, which you can register individually. In this tab you can see per carrier which customer codes you have registered and you can also manage these by removing expired customer codes using the 'Delete' button.

As long as your customer code is in the status of 'Pending' or 'Rejected' you cannot start the Secure Chain.

Pending

The carrier has not yet completed your verification, please contact the carrier.

Rejected

Your entered customer code has not been accepted by the carrier. If a customer code is rejected, an explanation will be provided. If you have any questions about this rejection, we advise you to contact the carrier.

Manage customer codes

If you did not enter the customer code correctly, you can easily delete it. To do so, click the Delete-button in the same screen where you entered the customer code for verification.

Both.

Authorize or nominate per container

You can easily authorize another logistics partner per container for the role of 'Cargo director' or nominate a carrier for the role of 'Carrier. Select the -button behind the relevant container and click on 'Transfer cargo director' or 'Nominate inland operator'. You can now select your partner and transfer only this container to your logistics partner.

Please note that you can only transfer the role of 'Cargo director' after you have received the exemption from the shipping company.

Authorize or nominate per B/L

You can nominate or authorize all containers per B/L to a inland operator in one action. Select the -button behind the relevant B/L and click on 'Transfer cargo director' or 'Nominate inland operator'. You can now select your partner and transfer only this container to your logistics partner.

Nominate per B/L

You can nominate all containers per B/L to a inland operator in one action. Select the B/L by checking it and at the top you will now see the button 'Nominate inland operator'.

With the current state of the Portbase Secure Chain we might update this process later based upon feedback from the community. We will inform all users via email and the news updates in the service.

After you have chosen the option 'Transfer cargo director' you will see a pop-up screen. If you start typing the company name of your logistics partner, it would automatically be completed with all organizations known to Portbase.

If your logistics partner is not known in Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager, you cannot select it for the role Cargo director, or Transport director. Your logistics partner must first register with Portbase and make a choice between Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager before you can continue with the Chain of Trust. Should this block your current cargo from further processing, you have two choices:

• Use another logistics provider that is known to Portbase or
• ask the shipping company not to release these B/Ls via the PCS but by sending a PIN code to you and your logistics partner by e-mail.

Important! In time, the option of unloading a container using a PIN code will be withdrawn due to its susceptibility to fraud.

No, this function is not available in the current phase.

We are currently investigating how this can work functionally, we would like to get in touch with you if you have more information about this process. Contact Customer Service and they will put you in touch with one of our colleagues.

Cargo Controller: Yes, you can track the B/L and container(s) in Cargo Controller long before the ship's ETA. But you can only manage the chain by authorizing or nominating a party after the Import manifest is known.

However, the chain will only become active once the commercial release has been granted. Only then can the pre-notification be made at the terminal. Everyone in the chain can receive an update when the commercial release is released.

Cargo Release Manager: No, within Cargo Release Manager you can only access the B/L after the commercial release is issued and then manage the chain.

NB! If the commercial release never follows because another party receives the commercial release or changes the B/L number (due to division), this entire chain will become redundant. You can then delete the B/L data, you can read more about that here.

Yes; in this phase, the Portbase Secure Chain is only concerned with unloading containers without a PIN code. An authorisation or nomination is not yet a legal contract. You still need to bilaterally transfer your underlying agreement to each other.

Contact your shipping company for a new commercial release or to renew the commercial release.

If your chain was already fully prepared, it will still be active. But without the commercial release, your haulier cannot unload the container. If the shipping company resends the commercial release, this automatically restores the chain you have prepared and your haulier can submit the prenotification.

Yes.

For now you will still need the delivery note for some details that are not yet available in the services within the Portbase Secure Chain, such as empty returns. We are currently working with the shipping companies in order to also be able to display these values to all parties in the chain via the services.

No, in the current phase, the Portbase Secure Chain is only in place for the import flow of containers.

No, this data is not available in the Portbase Secure Chain in the current phase. This will follow in a later phase.

Read how to set up e-mail notifications in our instruction manual.

In case you have e-mail notifications configured in Cargo Information, please reconfigure the notifications in Cargo Controller.

The (old) notification settings in cargo information can then be deleted.

Only together we can make the container release process and hence the logistics chain more secure. The ‘key’ in the form of a PIN code disappears. Each party in the chain authorises the next party in the logistics chain. Only those authorised parties can perform actions and access confidential data.

Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager
The services Cargo Controller and Cargo Release Manager are part of the Secure Chain, a new process to safely and securely share data with each other in the Dutch ports. You need either Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager to enter the Secure Chain and control your chain(s).

With Cargo Controller you get real-time Track & Trace information. You have full control and insight into the cargo, to ensure it is handled correctly and proactively.

With Cargo Release Manager you can view basic cargo information and can direct your chain partners.

The overview below shows the differences between the two services:

* One-time connection fee per service, excl. VAT

Request the service
Will you take part in the Secure Chain and join Europe’s largest port community?
Click here to register and request the Portbase service(s) of your choice.

Support pages

Here you will find practical information on how to expand and use Cargo Controller.

Here you will find practical information on how to use Cargo Release Manager.

In Cargo Release Manager will inform you can follow the picked up status of you cargo at the terminal:

Import phases

Each indicator will monitor the status concerning a phase in the import flow of the container. It will indicate an overall status, or the must urgent one. All indicators contain a group of specific indicators within these phases:

• Release Transport Equipment
  • Commercial Release status
• Pickup Transport Equipment
  • Inland Nomination status
  • Pre-Notifcation status

As you can see, the 2 indicators will inform you about 3 separate indicators. These 3 indicators are visible when you view the status details via the i-button.

Color and icons

The main indicator will provide you with the overall status of the phase, or the most urgent one within that phase. Their color and icon will read as the following:

• : Status confirmed, all indicators are green.
• : At least one indicator is yellow, your attention may be needed.
• : At least one indicator is red, attention is needed.
• : Status pending, not all indicators are green, none are yellow or red. No attention needed.
• : Status (yet) unknown. There is no update available, a possible update is expected like the ETA. Waiting for update.

With these indicators you will be in control about you cargo. In addition with the filter options in Cargo Release Manager you are now able to manage you cargo by exceptions.

Yes.

For now you will still need the delivery note for some details that are not yet available in the services within the Portbase Secure Chain, such as empty returns. We are currently working with the shipping companies in order to also be able to display these values to all parties in the chain via the services.

No, in the current phase, the Portbase Secure Chain is only in place for the import flow of containers.

No, this data is not available in the Portbase Secure Chain in the current phase. This will follow in a later phase.

Within Cargo Controller, your organisation can be linked to a B/L and the information that becomes available in multiple ways. In this knowledge article, we explain how you can unlock this data and what possibilities we offer in this.

Option 1: Add a B/L yourself
Each user can enter a B/L number via the web screen (or via Cargo Controller API) in combination with at least 1 container number. Based on this data, Portbase retrieves information submitted by the carrier or cargo broker on the import manifest. If this is known, we immediately show all information (and all containers) that Portbase has available at that moment, an "Extended B/L".

B/Ls that you as a user have added yourself are immediately marked as 'Favorite', recognizable by the yellow star in front of the B/L number. B/Ls that your colleagues have added can also be activated as favorites by clicking on the star.

Option 2: Assigned to a B/L
A carrier, a freight broker or a principal can grant a commercial exemption (via Secure Chain) to your organization without your organization tracking the container on the corresponding B/L within Cargo Controller. Based on this data, Portbase retrieves information that is available within the Secure Chain, a "Basic B/L".

Monitor your own work with ease

As explained in our Quick Start Guide, there are filter options available, but also 'Quick Views'. These quick views quickly differentiate in the main screen, such as the quick view "My Cargo" which immediately selects all B/Ls that you have registered as favorites.

In addition, you can add a label for each B/L, a reference that makes it unique for your organization. This also allows for additional distinction in B/Ls and you can also apply a filter to the set labels. Click on the Label icon of the B/L and add unique or recurring labels, these are then saved and with the filter 'Labels' you can filter on these values.

Basic and Extended B/L's

As previously stated, the way your organization is linked to a B/L determines how much information you can see from a B/L. With a Basic B/L, you only see the bare essential information you need for the Secure Chain, this B/L is not attributed to your organization as a paid transaction.

Do you need this information? Then every user can easily retrieve it by clicking the 'Get Access' button. Portbase will then register a paid transaction and immediately provide all available B/L information as you are used to. The B/L that you manually upgrade will be marked as a favorite immediately.

Portbase makes this distinction to avoid unexpected costs because your organization had not actively tracked this B/L.

Goods description

There may be exceptions to the goods description, which means you may or may not be able to view this data.

Option 1:
If your organisation is the first tracker of a B/L, your organisation will be granted the right to view (and manage) the goods information. You can grant requests to view goods description by clicking the "Release goods description" button under B/L details in the Cargo section.

Option 2:
If your organisation is the second tracker of a B/L, your organisation will not see any goods information. The party that blocks this right is stated in the place where the goods description is normally visible.

Option 3:
If your organisation is part of the Chain of Trust, your organisation will be able to see all goods information, regardless of when you are linked in the chain. But in that case you do need to track the Extended B/L.

How do I manage my B/Ls?

With this article you are now fully informed about the different ways of tracking B/Ls and how to filter them. In our other knowledge articles we will go deeper into the import status of your cargo and which data sources are available for this.

Cargo Controller API

The above can also be controlled via our Cargo Controller API, which allows you to fully integrate with your own internal systems. Read more about this here.

Excel up- and download

If your organization is not ready for our Cargo Controller API integration, we also have an interim solution with an Excel upload function. Read more about that here.

After adding your cargo you will discover the power of Cargo Controller, you are now able to monitor all your cargo based on 3 main indicators. These 3 main indicators represent the 3 phases of the import process that your cargo goes through before you can have it picked up at the terminal. These 3 main indicators are also called 'gates' and our status messages 'milestones'. In this article we explain the statuses, but also how you can apply them to simplify your daily work by working based on exceptions (management by exceptions).

Import phases

Each indicator monitors the status of the import phase your container is currently in. This way, either the general status or the most critical status is shown. An indicator contains a group of specific indicators for that phase:

• Arrival Transport Equipment
  • Vessel Arrival status
  • Import manifest known
  • Discharge at terminal **
  • Vessel departure status
• Release Transport Equipment
  • Customs Inspection status
  • Commercial Release status *
  • Import Declaration status
• Pickup Transport Equipment
  • Inland Nomination status *
  • Pre-Notifcation status *
  • Gate out status */**

* This indicator is only available within the Secure Chain. More information about this can be found in our Quick Start Guide, Factsheet or introduction film.

** This indicator is only available if the terminal makes this data available. Would you like to know more about terminal data within Cargo Controller? Then read more here first.

Legend of the status indicator

As you can see, the 3 indicators are based on 10 individual indicators. You can view this if you press the i icon and open the details screen:

Colors and icons

The main indicator will provide you with the overall status of the phase, or the most urgent one within that phase. Their color and icon will read as the following:

• : Status confirmed, all indicators are green.
• : At least one indicator is yellow, your attention may be needed.
• : At least one indicator is red, attention is needed.
• : Status pending, not all indicators are green, none are yellow or red. No attention needed.
• : Status (yet) unknown. There is no update available, a possible update is expected lika the ETA. Waiting for update.

In de onderstaande stappen gaan we in op hoe je deze statussen kan monitoren via filters e/o e-mailnotificaties aan de hand van een aantal voorbeelden.

Monitoring statuses

In our Quick Start Guide we have already mentioned the filter options within Cargo Controller, in this part we explain a number of them to use to filter out important status updates. This in combination with a number of our supporting email notifications.

Filter 1: Import manifest

Check 'Data not available', all B/Ls that are not known are now shown in the overview. Without a manifest, Cargo Controller cannot share any other status with you. The shipping company is responsible for submitting the import manifest. They must confirm this to the Harbor Master 4 days before ETA.

Tip 1: Always check first that there is no typo in the registered B/L number, that is our number 1 cause for questions in this situation.

Tip 2: Sometimes a B/L may have been wrongly registered on the manifest and subsequently deleted. An email notification is also available for this situation (B/L removed).

Filter 2: Discharge

Check 'Not Discharged' and containers have not yet been confirmed by the terminal. This can arise from various situations, such as a communication disruption between the terminal and Portbase, a cut-and-run situation by the shipping company or your organization at this terminal is not allowed to view this data (see Terminal data).

Tip: An e-mail notification is available that sends an e-mail when the ship has departed, but the discharge confirmation has not yet been received.

Filter 3: Inspection status

Check 'Notified', all containers that Customs has selected for inspection, 'have fallen red', are now shown on the screen.

Or: Check 'Released' to select all containers that were inspected and have now been released by Customs.

Tip: There are e-mail notifications available that send an email when the container has been notified and subsequently released.

Filter 4: Import document

Check 'Unknown', all containers for which no import document (MID) has yet been submitted to the terminal are now shown on the screen.

Tip: An e-mail notification is available that sends an e-mail if no MID has been submitted 6 hours after unloading the container.

Filter 5: Inland operator

Check 'Not nominated', all containers for which no carrier has yet been nominated (Secure Chain action) are now shown on the screen.

You can now track the status of your cargo

Based on this article, you can now easily navigate through the statuses of the cargo and you are in control of the current status. The next steps if a status deviates differ per situation. Read more here how you can set up email notifications.