Container terminals ratings tool launched

Container terminals ratings tool launched German classification society Germanischer Lloyd and New York-based not-for-profit organization the Global Institute of Logistics on Thursday officially launched their much-heralded container terminal benchmarking tool.
   The completed version of the Container Terminal Quality Indicator (CTQI), which was first announced in October 2006, was unveiled after a final workshop including various supply chain industry stakeholders such as terminal operators, shippers, port authorities and third-party logistics providers.
   To first qualify for a CTQI audit a terminal has to implement a management system to ensure a continual improvement process. Auditors will then assess various aspects of a terminal’s performance including equipment quality, such as the average age of cranes, and operational standards, including the opening hours of the road gate, and intermodal and inland waterway connections. It will be left to individual terminals to decide how much information they release as all certified figures and achieved benchmarks will only be disclosed in a confidential annex to the certificate.
   According to the project partners, shippers for the first time have the means to choose terminals that best suit their needs and supply chain strategies.
   “There had never before been such a standard providing globally defined figures,” said Wilhelm Loskot, head of the shipping and logistics department with Germanischer Lloyd Certification. “CTQI is the simplest way possible to achieve a common language for evaluating container terminals on a worldwide base. This provides the benchmark for a continuous improvement of container terminal performance worldwide.”
   Kieran Ring, chief executive officer of the Global Institute of Logistics, said: “CTQI creates a level playing field for the certification process through a generic blueprint that considers each terminal’s unique characteristics and modal split.”
   The first CTQI audits are scheduled for next month.