Virtual Arrival

The basic idea of Virtual Arrival is to reduce a vessel’s speed to meet revised arrival time if it is known that the berth will not be free on arrival. Regardless of the actual arrival time, the vessel still retains its place in the line-up based on the arrival time at normal service speed.

In shipping, vessels are usually scheduled to meet certain arrival times at a port in order to start time counting whether the berth is actually free on arrival or not. If the assigned berth is not free, the vessel will drop anchor on arrival and tender notice from the roads. In other words, the vessel will sail the whole passage at normal speed even though it is known that there will be delays at berthing.

Virtual Arrival has been trialled at AtoB@C Shipping's traffic with promising results. The average reduction of emissions has been 11% providing our customers a great opportunity to reduce emissions without any additional cost.

After each arrival the difference between the consumption at normal speed and actual consumption as a result of Virtual Arrival is compared and the savings are shared between us and the customer.

Positive experiences have also contributed to the international attention given to the concept. Finnish traffic management company Fintraffic has chosen Virtual Arrival as one of its key projects in 2023. The concept was also one of the initiatives in the Green Shipping Challenge that was launched at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt.

Benefits of Virtual arrival

• reduced fuel consumption
• reduced emissions
• less congestion in the port and anchorage area
• more reliable scheduling and line-up of vessels in port
• more efficient resource planning for port operators
• savings are shared between us and the customer