Containers Op. System

Project MARKO – Marine Container Terminal Operations Computer System (1991 – 2005)

The MARKO system was developed for the Container Terminal of the Port of Koper. Production began in March 1991. With upgrades and updates it was in regular use up to March 2005, when it was replaced by the Belgian COSMOS system, which was then used at the Trieste Container Terminal due to business arrangements between the Port of Koper and the Port of Trieste.

MARKO is a computer supported system for operation management of containers at the container terminal. It supports operation planning, preparation of transhipment notes of containers, management and execution of transhipment operations on ships, trains and trucks, and overview of the arrangement and availability status of storage positions in real time.    The system automatically carries out the management and guidance of the machinery and other operators on the field and the recording of the movements in real time through mobile and manual radio-connected computer terminals installed in the cabins of the handling machines or carried by supervisors. MARKO also electronically exchanges data with forwarding companies and shipping agencies with a central work ordering system at the Port.

Reasons for this type of computer support are described in the article “Computer support for preparation, execution and supervision of the marine terminal operations” which was presented and published in the Proceedings of the First Electrotechnical and Computer Science Conference ERK’92 in Portorož, September 1992.