A new platform for the management of physical and documental flows at Italian and French Ligurian ports

In this paper, the main functionalities of a web platform, which is aimed at managing physical and documental flows, at ports and at the main nodes of a supply chain, are described. This platform is currently planned for Italian and French ports of the Ligurian Sea, but it can be extended to all ports of the European Union. As regards the management of physical flows, the proposed platform provides all the information of alternative paths, especially intermodal ones, between an origin and a destination. The platform provides: updated information about maritime routes and rail connections; all data about trucking firms, maritime and rail operators registered in the platform; and finally allows to easily make, change and cancel bookings. As regards the management of documental flows, the proposed web platform allows to send, upload and share the most important customs documents: the customs declarations and the cargo manifests, but also other documents accompanying the freight, namely the bill of lading, the delivery order, and the EUR1, Form A and A.TR certificates.