Fuel is an important asset at ports, where a huge number of vehicles are used on a daily basis. Hence, efficient management of fuel activities at a port is mandatory if businesses want to be a key player in the industry. Modern fuel management systems provide end-to-end fuel management for ports.

This involves using key strategic methods like authorization of refuelling processes, recording transactions digitally, automated recognition of vehicles and drivers, accurate measurement of fuel levels, fuel inventory management, analysis of fuel consumption, etc.

In these systems, every drop of fuel is accounted for, and the whole business is strategically and meticulously managed. Read further to obtain a clear idea of how fuel management is done at ports.

How fuel management is done at ports?

 Authorization of refuelling processes
When a ship arrives at a port and needs refuelling with oil or any other fuel, ports need to accurately monitor the exact amount of fuel that is delivered to each vessel, in order to avoid overfilling or underfilling. For authorizing of refuelling, Heconomy fuel terminals provided by Hectronic are used. These are innovative solutions, which are available as both a built-in version and a mobile device. Some of these Heconomy terminals are directly installed on tank trucks. These terminals accurately measure and record the amount of fuel dispensed to the vehicle. They have an RFID reader attached to them, which identifies the vehicle and authorizes refuelling. The use of such solutions improves the overall efficiency of the business and prevents any discrepancies such as fuel theft or fuel wastage.

Automated recognition of vehicles and drivers
If you are in the port industry and want to make port operations easier, make use of the innovative technology called PetroPoint. Using this system, you can automatically authorize any vehicle and driver at the fuelling point. The system consists of the PetroPoint nozzle unit, a transponder that can be mounted on the fuelling nozzle, and the receiver unit inbuilt in the AutoFuel Terminal (Heconomy). 

Imagine the scenario at a port when ships are being loaded with fuel. How do you ensure that the wrong type of fuel is not loaded on a ship? Such a discrepancy can be avoided by PetroPoint because the nozzle unit in the PetroPoint ensures rapid identification of the vehicle. It scans the vehicle tag data and transfers it to the receiver, and the vehicle is authorized by the fuel management system. Misfuelling and fuel loss become impossible by using this technology. Additionally, the whole process is automated, and the need for manual ID verification and manual entry is eliminated.

Accurate measurement of fuel levels
Optilevel is a cutting-edge probe technology that is used for accurate fuel level measurement in the fuel storage tanks. This Optilevel probe (ATG) can be used in port businesses to measure the tank content data of the diesel, gasoline, and other fuel types. The probe can be used along with the Mineo controller, which has an integrated touch screen. This Mineo controller provides an overview of the fill levels and can display tank content data for up to 32 tanks. The tank content data from the Mineo  controller is then transferred to the office. Hence, you can easily streamline your port operations using these devices. The icing of the cake is that you get highly accurate data.

Fuel inventory management and fuel consumption analyses 
Since ports are the hub of international trade, managers in the port industry have to deal with a huge number of ships & operational fleets inside the port areas for which a substantial amount of fuel is required. Such a large amount of fuel cannot be handled through manual processes. You require a strategic fuel management system for handling fuel inventory and monitor the consumption of fuel. Here is where the HecPoll software solution comes in handy. HecPoll is a cloud solution, and the data on HecPoll can be accessed remotely. Handling fuel inventory, and monitoring and analyzing fuel consumption in ports can be done through the HecPoll software. From fuel purchases to fuel stock, all the information is available remotely. This technology facilitates remote supervision of fuel operations and improves the overall efficiency and productivity in the port business.
Conclusion: Use of fuel management systems at ports exhibits immense advantages 

Overall, efficient fuel management can drastically improve and enhance the efficiency, transparency, fuel security, data accuracy, inventory management, fuel monitoring, etc., for operations in the port industry, along with offering other advantages like remote access to data and elimination of manual and repetitive processes. Therefore, if you are in the port industry, it’s a win-win situation for you.