Teaming up for hinterland efficiency

RailWise Dashboard
The RailWise Dashboard has been developed at the request of the Rail Connected programm and provides insight into the efficiency, reliability and utilisation of rail freight transport (containers) in the Port of Rotterdam. It enables market parties to identify bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement in a targeted manner.
The development of the dashboard has been completed and, based on multiple feedback sessions with market parties, the metrics and data selections have been refined. The intended go-live is scheduled for early next year; the exact date will be communicated at a later stage.
In preparation for the go-live, a user manual will be made available online. In addition, an invitation has been sent for a demo on 18 December, during which the use of the dashboard and the displayed metrics will be explained.

ETA Train
The technical connection with the external data provider has now been completed. This will allow us—once the required data is supplied by the relevant party—to provide users with insight into train locations in the hinterland.
In the first phase, only the locations of inbound trains will be shown. Preparatory work has already been carried out for outbound trains, enabling this functionality to be added easily at a later stage.

Other developments – HCN Rail
In September, feedback regarding Train Composition was addressed. Users can download both planned and actual train compositions from the web screens. Previously, file names were not sufficiently distinctive, making it difficult for planners—who work with multiple trains daily—to quickly identify the correct file. To improve this, the unloading and loading reference is now included in the file name, significantly increasing recognisability and efficiency.

In early November, the inland shipping working group took place. The inland shipping working group consists of 15 representatives from across the sector who meet several times a year to discuss urgent topics. The main topic of discussion was the need for harmonisation of the data shared by terminals. This has already been investigated, including the harmonisation of container statuses, and we have been in contact with the terminals about this
Data sharing is also a topic within the Multimodal Council, a new initiative from the Port of Rotterdam Authority.

ECT MyTerminal information for road carriers available free of charge in HCN Road from January 2026
The premium data that was previously shared with road carriers via a paid MyTerminal subscription for the ECT Delta terminal and the ECT Euromax terminal will be made available free of charge in HCN Road from January 2026.
With this step, important planning information—such as the expected container unloading time—is further centralised within HCN , enabling road carriers to access all relevant data in one place for the efficient planning of their terminal visits.

ECT has published additional information on this development via its own communication channels.

Barge Center Waalhaven (BCW) is in the final phase of the implementation of HCN Barge. At present, barge operators can already pre-notify visits and containers at BCW. It is expected that pre-notification will become mandatory from early 2026. Once a definitive date is known, we will inform you via email and service messages.

Following customer requests, we have enabled the matching of detached status requests (status requests that are not linked to a visit) within the Secure Chain.
For carriers, this specifically means that detached status requests are now also matched when a nomination is received. As a result, the nominated party continues to receive updates on the original status request, and no new status request is created by Portbase based on the nomination from the Secure Chain.

Due to this change, all types of status requests and pre-notifications are now matched to the shipment originating from the Secure Chain. Previously, only pre-notifications and status requests linked to a visit were matched.

In October and November, HCN users experienced several disruptions. These were caused by both internal and external incidents.
Although some of the disruptions were beyond our control, we acknowledge that the number of internal incidents was higher than you have come to expect from us. We understand the impact this has on your business processes and therefore consider improving the stability of HCN to be our highest priority.

Background information on the disruptions
External incidents were caused, among other things, by planned maintenance or unplanned disruptions at terminals, temporarily interrupting the message flow to HCN .
In addition, the service relies on services from several external parties. A disruption at one of these parties therefore has a direct impact on the service. For example, the entire PCS, including HCN, was affected in November by a global outage at Cloudflare.

What Portbase is working on
Our development team is currently working on structural solutions to prevent recurrence. In addition, our Business Managers are in close contact with terminals and depots to resolve recurring issues within the chain. We are also addressing issues in connections with HCN that cause unnecessary system load. Together, we are working towards a stable application.

Staying informed during disruptions
Stay informed about disruptions via the channels below:
1. Planned or unplanned maintenance at individual terminals is communicated via in-service notifications in the HCN web screens.
2. Major external disruptions or internal incidents are communicated via Statuspage. You can subscribe to email updates. In addition, disruptions are always posted as in-service messages.

As it currently stands, 2026 will be a year in which the Hinterland team will be very active. Fixed capacity has been reserved for Nextlogic, Inland Port Dues, federated data sharing (DIL) and the Secure Chain within HCN. You can expect updates on these topics throughout the year via the service.

In addition, the team is working on Rail Connected (see the update on RailWise and Train ETA), the further development of Port Alert, and is conducting research into empty returns via HCN.

In 2026, resilience will be one of Portbase’s key focus areas. This will influence the roadmap of services for the hinterland.

Concretely, this means that next year time will be allocated to several overarching topics:
1. Maintenance, positively impacting the performance of our services
2. Focus on a secure and flexible platform, including the implementation of SOC 2 and AWS landing zones
3. Phasing out the legacy WPCS environment

The final focus area for 2026 is improving customer satisfaction. To this end, we are planning additional customer visits. We will also continue to focus on onboarding new terminals and depots and supporting terminals in their transition to API-based connections.

ETA Train
The component of the ETA Train functionality in HCN Rail that provides insight into the location and expected time of arrival in the port of Rotterdam is available. This includes the new fields. While its use is not yet mandatory, parties are invited to explore and test it in advance.  
In parallel, a pilot involving a number of market parties was launched. This pilot will run through several rotations and scenarios, with initial feedback expected by the end of Q3.  
Development of the functionality that provides insight into the location and expected arrival time in the hinterland is underway. An implementation plan is being prepared to support a phased and seamless introduction of this feature.  

Rail Dashboard  
In June, a working group was held on the new Rail Dashboard. This dashboard provides insight into the current performance of the rail sector in the port of Rotterdam through various performance measures. The dashboard enables market parties to perform a baseline measurement of the current processes. Based on this, areas for improvement are identified, providing clarity on the steps needed to increase the efficiency of the rail sector in the Port of Rotterdam.

Feedback sessions with the working group members are scheduled for September to gradually improve the dashboard throughout its development. 

QTerminals-Kramer fully connected to Hinterland Container Notification Road and Hinterland Container Notification Barge 
As of 1 July 2025, QTerminals-Kramer’s last two locations — Kramer City Depot (KCD) and Kramer Distripark Depot (KDD) — have been connected to the HCN Road service. With this development, all QTerminals-Kramer sites are now linked to both HCN Road and HCN Barge. 

This marks an important milestone in the move towards the uniform prenotification of (empty) containers across the port of Rotterdam. 
Click here for a complete overview of all connected terminals and depots. 

Matrans Rotterdam Terminal connects to the Secure Chain 
Matrans Rotterdam Terminal is in the final phase of the connection. The last tests are underway to ensure a smooth transition, enabling containers to be released and collected without the use of a PIN code. From September, all deep-sea cargo is released via the Secure Chain. We will keep you informed about the actual date through in-service messages.

Upcoming developments 
Work has commenced on the integration of Carrier Haulage into the Secure Chain. This is the next step towards fully eliminating the use of PIN codes for releasing and collecting containers within the port of Rotterdam. 

Over the past year, several terminals have started sharing additional data with the port community via HCN. This has resulted in variations regarding which data is shared by each terminal. We have received feedback from HCN users that they have lost the overview of the data shared by the individual terminals. To address this, Portbase has conducted an assessment.

The results were recently discussed with Transport and Logistics Netherlands (TLN), and we are now working with the feedback received. Once this goes live, we will notify all users and their software suppliers via email. 

Train composition functionality 
As of 1 April, the Train Composition functionality has been officially made mandatory by the deep-sea terminals. Ahead of this deadline, some rail operators, in coordination with their traction suppliers and the terminals, have already successfully made the transition. The implementation is therefore complete.

The first few weeks following the mandatory switch have proceeded smoothly. The use of the system is actively monitored, and the lines of communication between the involved parties are short to ensure quick action in the event of any bottlenecks.   

An evaluation involving several market players will take place in the coming period. The experiences and feedback will be considered in further refining processes, as well as in the development of the next step: the ETA Train functionality. 

ETA Train 
With the successful completion of the Train Composition functionality, the focus now shifts to the new ETA Train functionality within the Hinterland Container Notification (HCN) Rail service. 
ETA Train provides real-time insights into the location and expected arrival times of trains. This not only enhances transparency within the port of Rotterdam but also towards the hinterland. A test connection is currently being developed to analyse data on trains in the hinterland as well. 
 
Train tracking within the port has already been developed. A demonstration of the new functionality was presented during a working group session in late March. The feedback received is currently being processed. 
In parallel, an implementation plan will be developed, focused on ensuring a smooth and phased introduction of the ETA Train functionality. This will include the recent review of train composition functionality to ensure that the rollout aligns with market needs. 

The former Hapag Lloyd, now known as Hanseatic Global Terminals Rotterdam, connected to the Hinterland Container Notification Road service early this year. Prenotification of visits and containers, along with the use of TAR codes, have been made mandatory since Monday 28 April.
 
After a successful pilot, Waalhaven Botlek Terminal (WBT) has been connected to Hinterland Container Notification Barge service. As of 14 April 2025, prenotification of containers and visits has become mandatory. For a complete overview of all terminals working with Hinterland Container Notification go to pre-notification
at terminals and depots.

ECT Delta and Euromax anticipate managing all inland shipping visits through the Nextlogic platform in the near future. Nextlogic is therefore fully committed to integrating barge operators into the integral planning of inland navigation.  
Stay informed by regularly consulting ECT and Nextlogic’s updates. Or read the entire post here: Nextlogic as sole planning tool for inland container shipping at ECT | ECT Hutchison Ports 

The Secure Chain now applies to all intercontinental container cargo entering the port of Rotterdam.  
  
Scaling up Hapag-Lloyd
Hapag-Lloyd has commenced the phased transfer of clients from Secure Container Release (SCR) to the Secure Chain in Rotterdam. As an inland operator, do you have clients who ship with Hapag-Lloyd? In the coming period, you will notice that containers will increasingly be made automatically available in the HCN service for PINless prenotification via the Secure Chain. Your use of the SCR platform will decrease accordingly. More information: 
 
Hapag-Lloyd website
Secure Chain website
 
Upcoming developments 
Matrans Rotterdam Terminal will shortly begin facilitating the release of containers within the Secure Chain. The terminal’s participation is prompted by the launch of a new joint deep-sea service.   

The Estimated Discharge Time for APM Terminals Maasvlakte II is now available earlier in the HCN service. The data element is available for all modes, up to six hours* in advance via web interface or API system link. The information will become visible at the container handling level once a status request or prenotification has been submitted.  

For more information, go to: APM Terminals Maasvlakte II makes Expected Discharge Time available, up to six hours earlier – Portbase Kenniscentrum
  * It is an estimate that depends on the vessel planning.     

Far East and Oceania to join the Secure Chain 
From 3 February 2025, all import containers at the Port of Rotterdam will go through the Secure Chain. This is when the Far East and Oceania will also join the Secure Chain as the last remaining sailing areas. Click here for more information. 

Inland operator checks 
More and more terminals are actively verifying the haulier at the gate. In other words, does the inland operator arriving to pick up the container match the inland operator specified in the pre-notification? Hutchison Ports ECT locations, Euromax, Delta II (HPD2) and Rotterdam World Gateway (RWG) are already doing this. APM Terminals Maasvlakte II (APMT MVII) will start in the near future. As a result, each terminal can ensure security on its own site. 
 
Functional changes 
Since mid-January, it has become possible to outsource several Secure Chain containers to a different inland operator simultaneously, meaning that you can work even more efficiently. You can select multiple containers in the HCN Shipment screen so that you can easily choose which containers you want to forward.
A change has also been made so that cancelled Secure Chain authorisations remain visible in the pre-notification overview. Since 19 December, the pre-notification remains linked to the barge or rail visit but it is given the status ‘cancelled’.
 
Did you know that you can find additional information in HCN?   
In HCN, you can find information in pre-notifications and on the shipment screen. 
If you have an API link with HCN, you can use the ‘ALL’ endpoint to receive all available information about status requests, pre-notifications, arrivals, rotations and Secure Chain shipments such as ship, cargo and container information. This makes smarter working possible.  
 
Ask your software supplier about the possibilities. The specifications can be found in the Portbase Developers Portal.  

Hinterland Container Notification Road 
Hanseatic Global Terminals Rotterdam, formerly Hapag Lloyd depot Waalhaven, is poised to go live with HCN Road next quarter. 

CTVrede connected to HCN Road last November 
They are the first inland terminal outside the Port of Rotterdam to connect to the service. Following successful implementation, they have made use of HCN Road mandatory at both the CTVrede locations of Amsterdam and Hoogtij by 20 January 2025. 

For a complete overview of all terminals working with Hinterland Container Notification go to pre-notification at terminals and depots.

Train Composition Feature 
Over the past few months, a lot of hard work has taken place to prepare everyone for the transition to the Train Composition Feature which will become mandatory soon. Deep-sea terminals will exclusively use this feature to receive both inbound and outbound scheduled train compositions. HCN Rail will only share train compositions digitally, making the service more efficient.

At the deep-sea terminals, final preparations are currently underway to ensure a smooth transition. Meanwhile, there is a strong focus on traction suppliers. We are working with them to set up accounts so that they can have full access to HCN Rail before the transition is complete. Traction suppliers will only be able to access the train composition used after the operation has taken place through HCN Rail, the web screens, or an API. The APIs have been developed for rail operators and final testing is currently underway.

A recent update based on feedback from traction suppliers now allows users to view the train composition used on an additional tab in the Excel download, along with the expected outgoing train composition and any deviations. With these improvements and close collaboration, we can ensure a seamless transition to the Train Composition Feature for all parties involved and help to create a more efficient logistics chain. 

ETA Train 
2025 marks the beginning of the next phase in which real-time insight into train locations and expected arrival times will be provided. The first part, which involves tracking trains within the port, has already been developed. It will be implemented once the market has fully transitioned to the Train Composition Feature.
Discussions are also ongoing with external parties about tracking train locations in the Hinterland. Data integration tests with an external vendor have already commenced too. 

In response to the 2024 Customer Satisfaction Survey, among other research, an internal study was conducted to analyse and address the high workload in Customer Service. Based on the findings, internal processes for answering customer queries were adapted with the aim of increasing efficiency and improving your experience. 

Plans are also in place to make the support page more intuitive and well-organised, allowing customers to find the information they need more quickly and easily. 
To facilitate continuous improvement, we monitor the types of queries received by Customer Service. Based on these insights, we adjust processes and support where necessary, with the ultimate goal of providing an optimal customer experience. 

Approximately 60% of all import cargo passes through the Secure Chain. Since 1 October, import cargo from Africa, India, Pakistan and the Middle East has also been added to the Secure Chain, and import cargo from the rest of Asia and other shipping areas will follow shortly.

Improvements
Our colleagues in Customer Service have been busy. Improvements will be introduced in the near future to reduce their workload and most importantly to make things easier for you.

Call; reuse the pre-filled Secure Chain status request or add B/L number.
 
 
EAN validation at Maasvlakte terminal gates (for road transport)
The Rotterdam World Gateway (RWG) terminal has started checking the inland operator at the gate since 1 October. Like several other Rotterdam terminals, they do this using EAN validation on the executing charter at the gate. Learn more in this news article. APM2 is currently still testing and will follow soon. Additionally, Hutchison Ports Delta II (HPD2) is also in the process of implementation. However, they are phasing in road carriers gradually and are reaching out to the carriers directly, which means their approach is slightly different. You will be notified when other terminals follow suit.

API connection: all information in one endpoint  
The “ALL” endpoint allows you to receive all updates on status requests, pre-notifications, visits, rotations and Secure Chain shipments in a single gateway. From the Secure Chain you will also receive additional information such as ship information, goods information and insight into the validity of releases. This makes smarter working possible.
Ask your software supplier about the possibilities. The specifications can be found in the Portbase Developers Portal.

Secure Chain information for your client  
Working together in the Secure Chain ensures a more efficient and secure process. That is why PINs will disappear completely.
Is your client not yet familiar with the Secure Chain? Share this checklist with them.

If your client has any questions about joining the Secure Chain or Portbase, please ask them to contact sales@portbase.com  

During this period, terminals are primarily active in connecting to HCN Road.
– CTVrede Hoogtij and Amsterdam will connect to HCN Road in November. Fun fact: CTVrede is the first terminal outside of Rotterdam to connect to HCN.
– The Hapag Lloyd depot in Waalhaven will (likely) go live with HCN in the next quarter.
– The STAR depot is working on the technical connection.

The previous edition of the Quarterly Update stated that 1 October 2024 would be the deadline to switch to sharing the Train Composition via HCN Rail. At the Rail Connected steering committee meeting at the beginning of September, the collective decided to extend this transition date to 1 February 2025.

This means that a transition period from 1 October 2024 to 1 February 2025 has been established so that all market parties can get fully prepared. We recommend everyone to make the switch as soon as possible. Are you one of the rail operators who already has their train composition API ready? Please get in touch with your Portbase contact person.

Traction suppliers and HCN Rail
Traction suppliers have relatively little experience working with HCN Rail. Establishing this transition period gives us the space to gradually introduce this group to the service, including with this guideline.

Always improving
We greatly appreciate it when you give feedback, and we ask that you continue to do so. Your feedback ensures that we can continue to improve. For example, three new hazardous goods fields have been added. The upload template (Rail XLS template) has been adjusted accordingly.

Additionally, free loading has now been enabled, and improvements have been made to make it easier to utilize the train composition feature via HCN Rail web screens.
This means that the entire market will be ready for the train composition on 1 February 2025.
 
ETA Train
The scenarios developed over the summer have now been discussed in the working group with terminals, traction suppliers and rail operators. Working agreements have been made in this regard which the parties could provide feedback on until 1 October. Feedback received is now being processed.

Port Alert
Port Alert will primarily help drivers and planners directly. For example, the ‘disruption dashboard’ and ‘congestion barometer’ are already actively in use within a pilot group of inland operators. The feedback so far has been positive.

In the coming months, the focus will be on further developing the check-in function. This allows drivers to retrieve information about the visit and the container status from the Port Alert app with the truck appointment reference (TAR) code.

Hutchison Ports ECT Rotterdam (ECT) has announced its intention to schedule (or have scheduled) all barge visits to the ECT Delta and ECT Euromax terminals via Nextlogic from Monday 03 February 2025.

By maintaining good contact with the community, we know how our services are experienced and how we can improve them and increase their value. That is why a customer satisfaction survey is conducted every two years.

The results are in! They say that:
– Our customer service is seen as friendly
– Issues are handled better compared to 2022
– Clients who have been using Portbase services for some time now know the Port Community System (PCS) well and are satisfied with the service provision
– Clients want to focus primarily on improving the options and the capabilities of existing services in the coming years
– The major opportunities for improvement lie in thinking about solutions from the clients’ point of view.

We are extremely grateful to you for completing the 2024 Customer Satisfaction Survey. After all, Portbase is of, for and by the port community.

Secure Chain 
A safer container import process with the Secure Chain
Since its introduction, more than 200,000 containers have already been handled via the Secure Chain. This number will only increase as more regions transition fully. From today, 1 July, North America has been connected to the Confidence Chain. This means that from now on, all North America import containers will be handled through the Confidence Chain.

Many of you took part in the survey on Hinterland Container Notification (HCN) and the Secure Chain, for which we are very grateful. We have started working with the valuable insights generated and the first results are here. It seems there is a great desire for clarification on HCN Secure Chain, and action has been taken to address this by means of the demos.
 
Guided tour
Naturally, there is more; we have been hard at work on a guided tour. This new tool guides users of the HCN web screens through the functionality, for the benefit of the Secure Chain. Further development is now underway so that we can use it again in the future to better support users. You will also receive an e-mail when you are nominated, or when the nomination expires. You do need to set this up (only once). Read more about setting up e-mail notifications here.
 
Service under development
HCN will remain a service that is constantly evolving, and in line with the Secure Chain we are making adjustments to enhance security. As a result, since 8 April 2024, PINs have no longer been visible in HCN. HCN is closely connected with the EAN numbers of the inland operator. Following ECT Delta and Euromax, Hutchison Ports Delta II will now also be more actively checking the EAN numbers of the executing inland operator and matching them to the prenotification. Other terminals will soon follow suit. In the next edition of the Quarterly Update, we will again take you through recent developments in the context of the Secure Chain. If you don’t want to wait, you can read more about the Secure Chain right here! You can also sign up.
 

The network continues to grow.
Last quarter again saw plenty of terminals connecting to HCN’s various modalities. Below is a review of the new connections, as well as an overview of terminals about to be connected:

Train composition deadline approaching!
The Rail Connected steering group has set 1 October 2024 as the deadline for the transition to sharing train compositions with terminals connected to HCN Rail.  Rail operators can do so via the HCN Rail web screens or system interfaces. The instructions for the web screen can be found here. If you want to share train compositions via a system interface, please contact your software vendor. You can read what you need to do as a rail operator here.

IMPORTANT: As described in the article, Portbase supports this process, but we need additional data to do so. We cannot support every rail operator at the same time. So please send the necessary data ASAP.
 
Besides train composition, we are also working hard on sharing train ETAs within the Rail Connected programme. For this purpose, 9 scenarios were recently discussed in a working session with terminals, traction suppliers and rail operators. Among other things, we gathered valuable information on current working methods and processes. These scenarios are now being developed and presented to the working group. There will be more on the development of this functionality in a future edition of the Quarterly Update.

The ‘disruption dashboard’ and ‘activity level barometer’ functionalities are almost ready. Above all, they will provide added value for planners and drivers. It will give them better insight into current disruptions at the port, so that they can adjust planning accordingly. This will result in higher efficiency and smooth throughput. We will be focusing on rolling out these aspects after the summer. In addition, team Port Alert is further developing a ‘rain alarm’ and a ‘digital check-in’.  Keep an eye out for the next edition of the Quarterly Update, at the end of September, for more information.

All HCN users can now see additional data from multiple terminals in the service. Regardless of modality and connection, everyone has access to the same information. The provision of data from RWG and APMT MVII provides you with the following benefits:

– Reliable data directly from the terminal
– Greater efficiency in the logistics chain
– Optimal planning for hinterland parties

Can’t see the extra data yet? Read what action to take here

What has already been achieved in HCN?
1. For HCN Road, it is now possible to remove the ‘Remain on Truck’ container from a visit.
2. APMT MVII correctly processes adjustments to TAR.
3. HPD2 supports status requests for Road. For Barge, this operation has been greatly improved.