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Quest Training

Digital Ports & Port Community Systems Training Course

Covers digital port transformation and port community systems as a management change: governance, stakeholders, data sharing and funding, not software building.

PMM · Port & Maritime ManagementAll Levels#3123ClassroomEnglish , Arabic
Duration
5 Days
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Free substitution at any time · 30+ days' notice: full refund minus 10%. Cancellation policy

Sectors:Procurement, Contracts & Supply ChainCategories:Port & Maritime Management

Course Overview

The Digital Ports & Port Community Systems Training Course equips port authority leaders, customs and maritime officials, and transformation managers with the knowledge needed to lead digital change across a port and the many organizations that depend on it. The course treats digitalization as a management and governance challenge rather than a technical one. It does not teach programming or system administration; it concentrates on how to decide what to build, how to bring competing parties together, and how to make new ways of working stick. The course begins with the digital port landscape and the difference between a terminal operating system, a port management information system, a port community system, and a national or maritime single window. Participants examine the paper and information flows of a typical port call and cargo release, identify where delays arise, and assess the digital maturity of their own port. They review the international reference points that shape this field, including the IMO FAL Convention, the WCO Data Model, the WCO SAFE Framework, and the guidance published by the International Port Community Systems Association, and they consider what each means for institutional design. Participants then turn to the hardest part of the work: securing participation. The program covers governance and ownership models for a port community system, public-private delivery options, funding and user charging, data sharing agreements, trust between commercial competitors, service levels, and the phased migration of users from paper. It also addresses change management for customs agents, truck operators, and shipping agents, procurement of digital services, cybersecurity governance with reference to ISO/IEC 27001, and a realistic management view of port call optimization, digital twins, and automation. The course is delivered through port case studies, process mapping exercises, stakeholder negotiation simulations, business case work, and a final transformation workshop. Participants leave with a digital maturity assessment, a stakeholder engagement plan, a governance and funding options paper, a data sharing principles outline, and a phased transformation roadmap they can adapt to their own institutions. The exercises center on decisions that managers and boards must take themselves, not on system features.

Learning Objectives

  • Distinguish terminal systems, port management systems, port community systems, and single windows by purpose, users, and owner.
  • Map the document and information flows of a port call and a cargo release process to find avoidable delays.
  • Assess the digital maturity of a port and its wider community of users and agencies, using process evidence.
  • Interpret the IMO FAL Convention, WCO Data Model, and WCO SAFE Framework for institutional planning.
  • Compare governance and ownership models for a neutral port community system.
  • Build a business case that states the benefits and costs for each participating party.
  • Evaluate funding, user charging, and public-private delivery options for digital port services.
  • Design data sharing principles that protect commercial confidentiality and build trust among competitors.
  • Lead stakeholder engagement across customs, shipping agents, terminals, forwarders, and truck operators through steering groups and user forums.
  • Apply change management methods to move users from paper-based to digital processes.
  • Manage the procurement of digital services and supervise vendors through service level agreements.
  • Establish cybersecurity governance and continuity arrangements for critical port community services.
  • Prioritize emerging tools such as port call optimization and digital twins by their management value and readiness.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for port authority executives, heads of digital transformation, strategy, operations, and information systems, and the program and project managers responsible for port community system and single window initiatives. Heads of commercial affairs, finance, and legal functions who must support these programs will also benefit, as will the sponsors who answer for their results. It is equally relevant for officials in customs administrations, maritime administrations, transport and trade ministries, national single window agencies, and border and standards agencies that take part in port clearance processes. Professionals in terminal operating companies, shipping agencies, freight forwarding associations, trucking associations, free zones, and logistics programs across the Gulf and Africa will find the course directly applicable, as will the advisers who support digital port programs. Chambers of commerce and shippers' councils representing port users will also find it useful. It is particularly valuable for institutions launching a port community system, reviving a stalled digital initiative, or connecting several ports and agencies on one shared platform.

Learning Outcomes

  • By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
  • Explain how port community systems differ from terminal systems and single windows, and what each is for.
  • Map the information flows of a port call and identify the main causes of delay that managers can address.
  • Assess the digital maturity of their port and its wider user community with evidence.
  • Recommend a governance and ownership model suited to their national context and its legal setting.
  • Build a business case that shows the benefits and costs for each participant.
  • Compare funding, charging, and delivery options for a digital port service by cost, adoption risk, and control.
  • Draft data sharing principles that commercial competitors can accept, including limits on who sees what.
  • Lead stakeholder engagement and handle resistance to new digital processes across the port community.
  • Plan a phased rollout that retires paper procedures without disrupting cargo and with clear user support.
  • Define service levels and supervise digital vendors through measurable targets and regular reviews.
  • Set cybersecurity governance and continuity expectations for critical port services and agree who owns them.
  • Develop a phased digital transformation roadmap for their own port community sequenced by readiness, value, and dependency.

Course Outline

Course Outline:

Day 1

The Digital Port Landscape and Maturity Assessment

  • Why digital port programs succeed or stall: sponsorship, adoption, and scope
  • Terminal systems, port management systems, port community systems, and single windows compared
  • The IMO FAL Convention, WCO Data Model, and WCO SAFE Framework as reference points
  • Mapping the information flows of a port call and a cargo release
  • Digital maturity assessment for a port and its user community
  • Common causes of delay that digital tools alone cannot remove
  • Defining the problem and vision before selecting any system
  • Practical application: participants map a cargo release process and assess their port's digital maturity
Day 2

Governance and Ownership of Port Community Systems

  • The port community concept and the role of a neutral platform
  • Ownership models: port authority, customs, joint venture, and private operator
  • Steering committees, user groups, and decision rights among participants
  • The interface between a port community system and a national single window
  • Legal foundations: mandates, electronic documents, and liability as governance questions
  • Roles of customs and maritime administrations in shared platforms
  • Accountability when several agencies share one digital service
  • Practical application: participants compare governance options and recommend a model for a sample port
Day 3

Business Case, Funding, and Data Sharing

  • Building a business case that shows benefits and costs for each party
  • Funding sources, user charges, and public-private delivery options
  • Data ownership, confidentiality, and access rights among commercial competitors
  • Data sharing agreements and data governance roles
  • Procuring digital services: requirements, vendor evaluation, and service level agreements
  • Estimating adoption risk and its effect on projected benefits
  • Standards and interoperability as management decisions
  • Practical application: participants prepare a funding options paper and data sharing principles
Day 4

Leading Change Across the Port Community

  • Stakeholder analysis across customs, agents, forwarders, terminals, and truck operators
  • Winning early adopters and handling resistance from those who benefit from current processes
  • Phased rollout, parallel running, and retiring paper procedures
  • Training, helpdesk arrangements, and support for small businesses
  • Measuring adoption and communicating results to the community
  • Sponsorship, program structure, and the role of a community champion
  • Early wins that build confidence among skeptical users
  • Practical application: participants run a stakeholder negotiation simulation and draft an engagement plan
Day 5

Security, Emerging Tools, and the Transformation Roadmap

  • Cybersecurity governance, ISO/IEC 27001, and service continuity for critical port services
  • Port call optimization and just-in-time arrival from a management viewpoint
  • Digital twins, sensors, and automation: judging value and readiness
  • Program indicators, benefits tracking, and reporting to senior leadership
  • Incident response roles shared between port community members
  • Sustaining the platform after launch: ownership, funding, and review
  • Scaling from one port to a national network
  • Final workshop: participants present a phased digital transformation roadmap for a port community

Upcoming Dates

Selected date

Jeddah · 3 – 7 Jan 2027 · Classroom

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CityDatesPrice per ParticipantEarly Bird
AmsterdamScheduled
2 – 6 Nov 2026€5,400—
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BakuScheduled
9 – 13 Nov 2026€4,800—
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BarcelonaScheduled
16 – 20 Nov 2026€5,400—
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BeirutScheduled
22 – 26 Nov 2026€4,000€3,600until 2 Nov
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BerlinScheduled
23 – 27 Nov 2026€5,800€5,220until 2 Nov
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CairoScheduled
29 Nov – 3 Dec 2026€3,300€2,970until 9 Nov
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Cape TownScheduled
30 Nov – 4 Dec 2026€5,100€4,590until 9 Nov
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CasablancaScheduled
7 – 11 Dec 2026€4,300€3,870until 16 Nov
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DammamScheduled
13 – 17 Dec 2026€4,200€3,780until 23 Nov
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DohaScheduled
20 – 24 Dec 2026€4,400€3,960until 30 Nov
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DubaiScheduled
20 – 24 Dec 2026€4,400€3,960until 30 Nov
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ErbilScheduled
27 – 31 Dec 2026€3,100€2,790until 7 Dec
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JeddahScheduled
3 – 7 Jan 2027€4,200€3,780until 14 Dec
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IstanbulScheduled
4 – 8 Jan 2027€4,700€4,230until 14 Dec
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KigaliScheduled
11 – 15 Jan 2027€5,100€4,590until 21 Dec
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LisbonScheduled
18 – 22 Jan 2027€5,400€4,860until 28 Dec
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Kuala LumpurScheduled
18 – 22 Jan 2027€4,400€3,960until 28 Dec
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LondonScheduled
25 – 29 Jan 2027€5,600€5,040until 4 Jan
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MadridScheduled
1 – 5 Feb 2027€5,400€4,860until 11 Jan
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MadinahScheduled
1 – 5 Feb 2027€4,200€3,780until 11 Jan
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MakkahScheduled
8 – 12 Feb 2027€4,200€3,780until 18 Jan
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ManamaScheduled
15 – 19 Feb 2027€4,700€4,230until 25 Jan
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OnlineScheduled
21 – 25 Feb 2027€1,700€1,530until 1 Feb
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MuscatScheduled
22 – 26 Feb 2027€5,300€4,770until 1 Feb
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ParisScheduled
1 – 5 Mar 2027€5,700€5,130until 8 Feb
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Sharm El-SheikhScheduled
8 – 12 Mar 2027€4,300€3,870until 15 Feb
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SingaporeScheduled
8 – 12 Mar 2027€6,700€6,030until 15 Feb
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AbujaScheduled
15 – 19 Mar 2027€5,100€4,590until 22 Feb
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AccraScheduled
22 – 26 Mar 2027€5,100€4,590until 1 Mar
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AmmanScheduled
28 Mar – 1 Apr 2027€3,100€2,790until 8 Mar
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Available in: Istanbul · Dubai · London · Doha · Amsterdam

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