Pilot project to cut theft in port

A pilot project is now under way in Gothenburg to boost efficiency and security for goods transports through ports.

Thefts of goods on the road and in ports have surged in the past few years. Recently two tractor trailers were stolen from the Germany-bound Stena Line terminal in the Port of Gothenburg. The thieves rammed the loading dock fence, drove in with a tractor rig and drove off with two trailers, one of them containing 17,000 Nintendo consoles worth SEK 25 million (3 million USD).

A pilot project is now under way in Gothenburg to boost efficiency and security for goods transports through ports. Several key players involved in sea freight are participating, including Stena Line, DSV, Swedish Customs, Volvo, Saab and Wackfelt Transport. New functions have already streamlined and speeded up goods flows, which also cuts the risk of theft and enhances security. Better use of resources among the players can also lower the risk of goods being stolen or tampered with.

Lindholmen Science Park Security Arena stands behind the project, with Volvo Technology at the helm. The pilot project is based on an in-depth analysis by the players involved, and focuses on a transport chain starting with trucks departing from a terminal in the Hisingen district and ending with the goods being loaded at the port in Majnabbe.

“We’re testing an information system in which the truck sends the necessary information so that the responsible people in the port can identify the driver, trailer and cargo,” explains Camilla Nyquist at Volvo Technology, project manager for the pilot project. “That way the driver doesn’t have to get out of the truck for identification.”

The information system is “loosely coupled”, a computer term meaning that the components are not heavily interconnected; data is sent on a need-to-know basis rather than being stored in a database. This way prying eyes have less opportunity to obtain information on the goods. The system has already cut down on the time it normally takes to transport and load the goods.

“The goal is to develop safer, more efficient transport chains,” says Bosse Norrhem, project manager at Lindholmen Science Park Security Arena. “Using existing and new technology, we can not only tighten security, but also make transportation more efficient.”

The Port of Gothenburg is a crucial import and export hub for all of western Sweden. It is already clear that the goods flow through the port will increase in the long term, while international security regulations are tightened. An essential task is to find new solutions to streamline goods flows in the port while meeting new security requirements.

The project is a good example of a concept developed in a laboratory environment that is now being tested in real life according to the Lindholmen Science Park model, which involves close collaboration between the business, academic and public sectors.

For more information, contact:
Bo Norrhem, project manager at Lindholmen Science Park Security Arena, +46 (0)31 764 70 25
Anita Bengtson, press officer at Lindholmen Science Park AB, +46 (0)31 764 70 20

Photos:
Maria Holmkvist, Lindholmen Science Park AB, +46 (0)31 764 70 30, maria.holmkvist@lindholmen.se

About:
Lindholmen Science Park Security Arena