22nd Edition Launches Port Information Into the Future

REIGATE, England — Shipping Guides Limited are pleased to announce the launch of the 22nd Edition of Guide to Port Entry, which now includes QR codes for online access to updated port information.

Guide to Port Entry, available to purchase from Shipping Guides and global maritime chart agents from 1 December 2012, continues to be the ‘bible of port knowledge’ for the maritime industry. However, this publication is only published every 2 years and as such the information contained within the publication can become outdated fairly quickly. To combat this long-standing problem, Shipping Guides have utilised the technology of QR Codes, normally used as a marketing resource for magazine advertisers, to provide their customers with a unique solution to getting the specific port information updates that they require.

So how does this work?

Each port entry contains a unique QR Code which, when scanned using a smartphone or tablet, will take the mariner to that specific port’s update page on the Shipping Guides online port information website www.findaport.com. Each port’s update page summarises any changes available for that port since the book was published. For a small fee, the mariner can then make an informed decision whether or not to purchase these updates based on the summary provided.

“Our aim in using these sophisticated codes, is to make the process of accessing the most up to date port information even easier for the mariner, whilst still giving them the option to download the latest information or not. We know that in this industry paper products are still highly valued and celebrated in comparison to their digital counterparts, but this is slowly changing. With the inclusion of QR codes in Guide to Port Entry, we realise the potential to ‘bridge the gap’ through using the technology a smartphone can offer. All the reader needs to do is download a QR code scanner, which can often be downloaded for free” Ira Pielow, Managing Director.