MARSA is a Maritime Management System developed in 2020 for port stakeholders in Abu Dhabi to simplify and streamline maritime services. It facilitates digital interactions between shipping lines and port authorities to cover end-to-end formalities of Vessel Management. Coupled with business intelligence dashboards, MARSA provides improved transparency on voyages, marine resource utilization and billing. The word “MARSA” means Anchor in Arabic, which symbolizes its vital role in the efficient management of vessels in the ports.
Abu Dhabi Ports Group (ADPG) has a strategic objective to drive trade facilitation with the use of Technology. This is done through its Digital Cluster (DC)- a central pillar of the group’s strategy to be a leader in developing integrated, digital and global trade.
MARSA, developed by DC, provides a Single point of contact through website and four customized mobile applications for pilot, tug masters, skippers and mooring gang for easy access and timely event reporting. MARSA is also fully integrated with the official single trade window in Abu Dhabi, the Advanced Trade Logistics Platform (ATLP), advancing paperless trade across all trading touchpoints.
Following the implementation of MARSA, the port has witnessed a significant time reduction in vessel registration processing by 50%, permit-to-work processing by 75%, and event reporting by 83%. Enhancing the digital infrastructure has also led to the automated posting of billing lines in 9 ports, the issuing of over 9,000 automated certificates, all leading to a 70% reduction in manual hours.
Furthermore, improving the efficiency of the port call process has contributed to improving the environmental performance of the port. It is estimated that this system alone will lead to an annual reduction of 1,300 tonnes of CO2 and reduced the annual number of physical trips to the port by over 180,000. Overall, the estimated annual cost savings for stakeholders is $240,000 and in 2023 the User Happiness Rating recording a 99.6% satisfactory score.