Havinor – the Digital Platform of the Future for Norwegian Port Operations

Photo: Tromsø Havn KF.

In June 2023, the Port of Tromsø received a grant approval of almost NOK 12.5 million through the Norwegian Coastal Administration’s subsidy scheme for efficient and environmentally friendly ports, for the development of a “Digital platform for information sharing across, among other things, specialist systems and users of the port.” The grant was crucial for the Port of Tromsø, together with FourPro Solutions AS, now having developed Havinor. The Port of Tromsø therefore took the initiative for Havinor – an innovative digital platform that can make Norwegian port operations more efficient and improve them.

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What is Havinor?

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Havinor is a digital collaboration platform that unites port authorities, service providers, customers and users in one common system through APIs to professional systems, databases and government systems. The platform improves the flow of information, makes operations more efficient and strengthens quality assurance in Norwegian ports.

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Havinor is an operational tool that gives port guards, among others, full control over calls and service deliveries in real time. Havinor does not replace established professional systems, but complements them and makes interaction more efficient for all involved actors.

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A collaborative project with broad support

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In 2023, the Port of Tromsø entered into an agreement with FourPro SolutionsAS for the delivery of a terminal operating system for cargo management. Along the way, the parties saw the potential for developing a more comprehensive collaboration system.

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To realize this vision, the Port of Tromsø sought support from the Norwegian Coastal Administration through the grant scheme for efficient and environmentally friendly ports. The project could demonstrate positive benefits that exceeded the requested grant amount, while at the same time it would not have been implemented by the Port of Tromsø without a significant grant.

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The Port of Tromsø was able to start and lead this project, but which has had the Ports of Harstad and Bodø as important contributors. In addition, there has been close cooperation with the Port of Oslo's project "Digital Port".

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The background for Havinor

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Today's port systems are often local, fragmented and limited in their interaction with other actors with great variation. Port authorities, port operators, agents, shipping companies, service providers, carriers and customers lack access to a comprehensive information platform that can provide real-time data and predictability.

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This means that port operations are characterized by various professional systems, many of which are manual and poorly integrated, leading to inefficiency, reduced quality assurance and unnecessary complexity.

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This makes operations cumbersome, both for the ports themselves and for the users who have to deal with different systems and routines in different ports. - Bendiksen, who leads all operational activities at the Port of Tromsø.

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There is a strong need for a standardized solution that can ensure better coordination of port operations, optimize resource use and facilitate more environmentally friendly transport alternatives.

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The Norwegian Coastal Administration's SafeSeaNet, which is primarily adapted to national authorities, is currently the closest system for interaction, but it is not optimized for communication between ports, customers and logistics actors.

Today, much of the communication takes place via email, telephone and even post-it notes. It is generally characterized by unstructured communication between the players, which means that we spend a lot of time gathering information to plan calls, service deliveries and cargo handling as efficiently as possible. - Tom-Eirik Nordstrand, Maritime Manager at the Port of Tromsø.

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Havinor will contribute to:

- Simplified workflow – Better overview and structure in work processes.

- Better quality assurance – Reduced risk of errors and improved reporting.

- Increased efficiency – Faster and more streamlined operations.

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For customers such as shipping companies, vessels and operators, Havinor will provide easy access to information about port services, bookings and communication with external parties. This will in turn make the port experience more similar, regardless of the port of call.

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By collecting and standardizing information on one platform, Havinor will contribute to:

- Better resource utilization – Optimized use of the port's infrastructure.

- Improved planning – More precise information sharing between actors.

- Higher safety – Reduced risk through better coordination.

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After testing in its own organization, the Port of Tromsø is convinced that Havinor will provide a major competitive advantage for all players involved in the logistics surrounding vessels, ports of call and cargo handling. Therefore, Havinor is now being implemented for use in Tromsø.

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Havinor 2.0

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Havinor will link the ports more closely together. We see great advantages in collaborating rather than each port developing its own specialist systems. - Knut-Ivar Bendiksen, Commercial and Operational Director at the Port of Tromsø

By coordinating work methodology and operational data, ports can better utilize resources across the country. The vision is that vessels will experience arriving at a “Havinor port”, regardless of which port they actually visit.

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If we are to increase efficiency and reduce the risk of errors, we must speak the same language – and not in each other's mouths. This applies to both people and computer systems. Havinor gives us a digital "roundabout" that distributes information structured throughout the value chain, regardless of port and professional system, agrees CFO at Tromsø Port, Christian Rikardson, who has also been active in the project.

Although the Port of Tromsø has decided to implement the system, there is still some time before Havinor is ready to be rolled out to more ports. The Port of Tromsø has therefore applied to the Norwegian Coastal Administration for a grant to further develop Havinor.

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Feedback and response from various stakeholders has been positive. This was also confirmed when Tom-Eirik Nordstrand presented Havinor to ports and users at “Logistics as a Competitive Advantage” in Bergen in mid-March.

Unfortunately, there is a shortage of resources in our own organization. We therefore hope that the Norwegian CoastalAdministration's grant scheme for efficient and environmentally friendly ports will continue so that we can unleash the potential of Havinor, which we believe will revolutionize Norwegian port operations, concludes Knut-Ivar Bendiksen.

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This is a modified version of the original article made by Harriet Willassen, Marketing and Communications Manager, Tromsø Havn KF. Link to original post at the Norwegian Coastal Administration: https://www.kystverket.no/sjotransport-og-havn/status/status-2025/status-2025-havinor--fremtidens-digitale-plattform-for-norsk-havnedrift/

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