A large port is a busy place and lots of information has to be exchanged between the port authority, customs, the shipping companies and the ships themselves. The project EIES has developed and tested an information system, supported by collaborative working and EDI tools, to speed up the information flows between the various players.

A key feature of the system is an electronic version of the ports' 'Blue Pages' - the maritime equivalent of Yellow Pages. This provides a linked set of Internet databases of company information. As well as identifying the relevant contact points in an organisation, it can be used to set up communications sessions with those individuals.

Most major ports also produce a Port Entry Guide, a handbook providing ships with information about the port that allows them to plan their arrival in the most efficient way. The project has produced electronic multimedia versions that are available as CD-ROMs or on-line over the Internet. This electronic guide can be updated much more frequently than a paper guide and the on-line version can contain dynamic information. The guide is searchable and contains detailed maps and pictures of port facilities.

The collaborative working and EDI tools are Mbone tools, including videoconferencing, WEB-EDI, whiteboard and NetText. The tools are being developed further in a spin off project CONTRABAND.

Communications are a crucial element of any maritime information system and EIES solved this problem with a system that integrates the port's fixed networks with Enhanced Digital Short Range Radio links (range up to 40km) and satellite links for wider coverage.

The trials involved the ports of Bordeaux, Bremen, Brest and Santander, linking them with 600kbit/s ATM landlines to provide a realistic test of the technology within and between major European ports. The port authorities and shipping companies have been enthusiastic participants in the trials. They are convinced that Information and Communications Technology can help them improve efficiency and are working with the partners to develop commercial versions of the ACTS prototypes.