StormGeo, part of Alfa Laval, has acquired Portchain, a provider of berth alignment software that connects container carriers and terminals through shared, real-time port call data.
The transaction adds port call coordination capabilities to StormGeo’s Voyage Intelligence offering, which combines voyage optimization, vessel-performance insight and expert route guidance. The companies aim to link voyage decisions, including routing and vessel speed, with updated berth availability and terminal operating plans.
Context: Ports & Congestion Intelligence File · Port congestion, freight rates and charges
Portchain’s platform supports coordination between shipping lines and terminals. Its Portchain Connect product is designed to align vessel schedules and cargo volumes digitally, while Portchain Quay supports shared planning for berths, cranes and workforce resources.
Operational context
According to the companies, the Portchain Network connects shipping lines with more than 200 terminals, representing more than 40% of global container terminal capacity.
The combined offering is intended to support Just-in-Time voyage optimization by allowing changes in terminal plans to inform voyage decisions while vessels remain at sea. If an expected berth time changes, operators could reassess speed and voyage plans to better align a vessel’s estimated time of arrival with its estimated time of berthing.
Updated arrival information could also assist terminals in planning berth allocations, crane deployments and operational teams. The stated objective is to help vessels arrive closer to the time when terminals are ready to receive them, reducing avoidable waiting while seeking to lower fuel consumption and emissions and improve arrival predictability.
StormGeo said the acquisition advances its ambition to combine weather, vessel and port information for more efficient maritime operations. Alongside Alfa Laval’s marine portfolio, the expanded offering is intended to support customers’ operational-efficiency and decarbonization efforts.
Portchain will continue to operate independently under StormGeo for the next few years before being fully integrated into StormGeo’s portfolio. Existing Portchain customers are not expected to experience service disruption, while the combined offering will be made available through StormGeo.