Significant Contribution to Reducing Accidents and Improving Congestion at Gamman Pier
The era of automatic issuance of electronic delivery receipts using GPS technology for port cargo entry and exit has arrived. This system is expected to improve congestion for container trucks and reduce safety accidents.
On October 23, Busan Port Authority (BPA, President Song Sangkeun) announced that it is operating a Digital Pre-Gate utilizing GPS technology to alleviate traffic congestion and prevent safety accidents within Gamman Pier at North Port.
Digital Pre-Gate refers to a digital virtual gate that uses geo-fencing technology to set up a virtual zone. When a cargo truck enters this zone, an electronic delivery receipt is automatically issued through the AllConE app operated by Busan Port Authority.
Geo-fencing is a location-based technology that sets a virtual boundary in a physical space and triggers notifications and functions when a user enters or exits the area. The AllConE app is a mobile application exclusively for cargo truck drivers, supporting container entry and exit work and providing information inquiry and other features.
BPA staff are promoting Digital Freighter to truck drivers at the entrance of Sinsundaegam Terminal.
Recently, as external rail yards and other facilities at Gamman Pier in North Port were repurposed as storage yards, cargo trucks had to use the existing entry and exit gates, causing inconvenience. Within the pier and on nearby roads, congestion and accident risks increased due to intersecting truck traffic, and unnecessary detours led to significantly longer travel times.
Additionally, after the relocation of Sin Gamman and Gamman Piers by Korea Hutchison Terminal, the volume of cargo truck traffic increased, resulting in even more severe congestion.
To address these issues, BPA introduced the Digital Pre-Gate (a virtual gate within the pier). Now, as soon as cargo trucks enter the Digital Pre-Gate, they can receive an electronic delivery receipt on their mobile phones and proceed directly to the external storage yard. As a result, the travel distance to the external storage yard has been reduced by more than half, from 2 kilometers to 1 kilometer, and this is expected to greatly help reduce accident risks and ease vehicle congestion.
The introduction of the Digital Pre-Gate was carried out in collaboration between BPA and Sinsundaegam Terminal (BPT), the operator of Gamman Pier at Busan North Port.
To improve the recently worsening traffic congestion, BPA proposed the introduction of the Digital Pre-Gate at Sinsundaegam Terminal. The two companies began development in November last year and, after field implementation in June this year, achieved an 83% usage rate within four months.
On October 22, BPA and Sinsundaegam Terminal jointly conducted an on-site campaign to promote the use of the Digital Pre-Gate. During the campaign, they provided detailed usage instructions and mobile GPS location setting support to cargo truck drivers entering and exiting Gamman Pier.
Lee Junghaeng, CEO of Sinsundaegam Terminal, said, "Thanks to BPA's active cooperation, the Digital Pre-Gate has been successfully introduced and is greatly contributing to efficient port operations."
Song Sangkeun, President of BPA, emphasized, "The Digital Pre-Gate is a smart port service introduced in response to on-site feedback, and its high usage rate in a short period demonstrates the potential for digital innovation at Busan Port. We will continue to introduce advanced digital technologies such as AI to help Busan Port grow into a world-class smart port."
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