Electronic data interchange (EDI) in port operations

State‐of‐the‐art communications are fast becoming a necessity in today′s international freighting and transportation industries. Sophisticated logistics chains, offering a fast and flexible response to customer demands, require an accurate flow of information for tracking, planning and control. From the outset, many sectors of the shipping and containerization industries saw EDI as a natural technology for the communication of much of this vital information. Describes how EDI is used in port operations and the consequent improvement in scheduling and reduction of paperwork.