S.C. ports to use Navis terminal operating system

S.C. ports to use Navis terminal operating system    The South Carolina State Ports Authority said Tuesday it would invest $17.3 million in a new terminal operating system to enhance cargo visibility in its container terminals.
   The port authority board this week approved a contract for up to $8.35 million with Zebra Enterprise Solutions to implement the Navis SPARCS N4 terminal operating across its marine terminals. The port authority will spend up to $8.95 million on hardware, licenses and other projects related to the implementation.
   'The first contract is for the software and gate systems, which will allow the SCSPA to develop a single, centralized processing center for all gate moves,' the port authority said. 'This will substantially reduce processing times, reduce errors, and increase gate productivity while standardizing procedures at its terminals.'
   SCSPA said it would become the first port operator in North America to manage the Web-based Navis SPARCS N4 from a central location across multiple sites, with the goal to offer a single point of entry to customers across all terminals.
   Implementation will begin in February.