ION Geophysical Corporation’s Edinburgh-based Software group today announced the award of a competitive tender to supply Marlin SmartPort™ as a port management information system to CalMac Ferries Ltd.  CalMac Ferries Ltd is the UK’slargest ferry operator, managing 29 routes to over 50 destinations across 200 miles of Scotland’s west coast and operator of 27 ports and harbours across the length and breadth of Scotland.  ION’s Marlin SmartPort solution will provide port management services to 17 of CalMac’s harbours, including the major ferry port at Oban and the commercial cargo port at Perth, over an initial four-year term.

Marlin SmartPort makes ports more efficient and attractive for vessel owners and agents to use, increasing their competitive position while reducing costs and environmental impact.  The Cloud-based solution integrates systems and data to create a common operating picture that provides better real-time visibility to optimize decision-making across the port community.  For example, automating port call processes can reduce administration time by upwards of 50% while reducing errors.

“After an extensive tender process, we are pleased to select Marlin SmartPort as a solution that not only meets all of our immediate requirements, but also provides a long-term partnership to support our evolving needs,” said Cameron MacPhail, CalMac’s Head of Ports & Harbours.  “ION has a strong reputation in the UK port community for an efficient, integrated digital system and a support team that helps drive innovation and value.  Marlin SmartPort will support our modernization program to improve operational efficiencies and enhance the customer experience as well as our on-going environmental commitment.”

Senior Vice President of ION’s Edinburgh-based Software group, Stuart Darling, said, “We are delighted to be awarded this important contract from CalMac Ferries Ltd.  The Marlin SmartPort solution received development funding from Scottish Enterprise at the start of the year, and this contract presents a great opportunity for us to deliver value from that investment across a wide range of harbours in Scotland.  This award validates the competitiveness of our offering and demonstrates the breadth of Marlin to support a wide range of applications including port and ferry management.  Marlin SmartPort was developed with input from port controllers and we continue to advance the platform to cover wide a range of use cases to deliver value to ports and harbours globally.”