Portvision

PortVision is a web service that allows maritime shipping and transportation companies to track commercial vessel traffic, including real-time vessel locations and up to five years of historical data.

History

The PortVision vessel-tracking service was created in 2006 by Airsis, a company based in San Diego that was formed in 2004 from the merger of Abaris Technologies, founded by Dean Rosenberg, and Applied Digital Security Inc., founded by Jim Drewett. The PortVision service uses the Automatic Identification System (AIS), a technology and communication protocol that has been adopted by the International Maritime Organization as an international standard for ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore and shore-to-ship communication of navigation information. Using AIS, the PortVision service provides oil companies, marine terminal operators, fleet owners/operators and other maritime users with information AbOUT commercial vessel activities within ports and inland waterways. The PortVision service was developed after TOTAL Petrochemical and three other refineries in the Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas, area asked Airsis to develop a more elaborate, ship-tracking version of an on-line mapping system that the company had designed for the Port of Houston. Current users include international ports like the Port of New Orleans as well as large inland ports in the US.

Development and Uses

In 2010, PortVision introduced its TerminalSmart product, which gives terminal operators access to PortVision’s real-time and historical AIS database, with a dashboard that is configured and optimized to meet the specific needs of the marine terminal environment. In November 2011, PortVision added a Dock Management System module to its TerminalSmart product that enables oil companies to automate terminal processes, integrate communications, create event alerts, and manage on-water incidents and events. In 2011, the company also introduced a Fleet Management System module, adopted by vessel operators including LeBeoufBros. By 2011, the PortVision service was processing 40 million vessel positions a day, had archived over 15 billion arrival, departure, and vessel movement records since its inception and was operating in most major U.S. ports/regions and over 200 international regions. That year, the company received the 2011 Plimsoll Award for Innovation for its maritime product lines.

Use in Maritime Incidents

In addition to its use in the commercial shipping industry, the PortVision service has also been used in maritime crises, such as the Deepwater Horizon incident in 2010, and is also commonly used in dispute resolution over maritime incidents. During the 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident, the PortVision service was used by the response team to monitor up to 5,050 sea vessels, 30,800 personnel, and several dozen aircraft at a time. Today AIS technology is mandated by international law in order to prevent maritime collisions.