Stena Line Group is an international transport and travel service company operating Europe’s most comprehensive route network. With 5,700 employees, 35 vessels and 19 ferry routes in Scandinavia and around the United Kingdom and connections between eight countries, Stena Line has a significant share in all its market sectors.
Stena demands maximum efficiency and safety across its activities, so when building the IT system supporting its freight operations the company selected Hazcheck Toolkits for the database of IMDG Code regulated cargoes behind its booking procedures. In addition to reducing IT project development time and cost, incorporating Hazcheck Toolkits data and programmes means that Stena’s systems are continuously updated by Exis Technologies in line with currently implemented IMDG Code Amendments and errata.
“Stena Line has always invested intelligently in our internal business support systems, to ensure we deliver maximum efficiency for our own staff and more importantly to provide the highest levels of service to our customers. We consider very carefully any externally developed software that is to be incorporated into our own systems. So a number of years ago, when designing and then building our existing IT systems which support our operational activities, the Company selected Exis Technologies as our partner – to provide a computerised version of the IMDG Code that could be fully integrated into our Freight reservations and check-in system. Because we continue to work with EXIS this also demonstrates our confidence in their products and satisfaction at the excellent levels of support they provide to us, in respect to what is a very important cargo to all within the transportation industry.
The main reason is that Hazcheck Toolkits is effectively an electronic mirror-image (as a database) of the IMDG Code and thereby handles all such regulated cargoes according to the IMDG Code accurately and efficiently within our booking routines to support our operational procedures. In addition this reduces our own IT-related development time and costs, as the incorporation of the Hazcheck Toolkits data and programmes means that these critical parts of our systems are always current, by regularly uploading updated files provide by EXIS Technologies which correspond with the current amendment in force of the IMDG Code and its errata.
As safety is always our primary objective, we have extended our business relationship recently by investing in bespoke IMDG Code e-learning courses designed and hosted by Exis. This course framework allows us to provide a very effective training programme to our shoreside and seagoing personnel (new and existing), ensuring we meet our legal obligations relating to the training of shore-side personnel in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 1.3 of the IMDG Code.
Stena Line are delighted to have Exis Technologies as our preferred supplier in relation to their computerised products relating to hazardous cargo, to complement the primary version of the Code (books) we have always used operationally, and because they do provide exceptional service to us”.
Hazcheck Toolkits are DG databases and a library of routines for incorporation into cargo booking, handling and planning systems. These provide dangerous goods validation functionality for integration into an existing or planned system or product.
IMDG Code e-learning is a cost-effective online training tool for all shore side staff involved in the handling and transport of dangerous goods by sea. It was developed with the support of the International Maritime Organization, and gives high quality training that complies with both the general awareness and function specific training requirements in the IMDG Code.
