BICS Portal is live
Vessel owner-operators can now sign up for BICS Portal: the new, online version of BICS. With BICS Portal, users can log in via laptop, tablet, and mobile at www.bicsportal.eu and easily submit and manage their voyage information from there.
Why BICS Portal
BICS Portal has been developed to make the reporting process more accessible and efficient, and represents an important step in the further digitalization of information exchange in inland shipping.
Whereas BICS was previously only available as locally installed software on a fixed computer, BICS Portal is now available online via www.bicsportal.eu. This means that skippers are no longer dependent on a single specific computer on board.
The new platform works on any device, including laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Installation is no longer required and updates are applied automatically. This makes usage simpler and more reliable.
Below you can find the advantages of BICS Portal compared to the installable version of BICS.
| Portal Online version | Local Installable version | |
|---|---|---|
| No installation required | ✔ | ✖ |
| Automatic updates | ✔ | ✖ |
| Usable on smartphone¹ | ✔ | ✖ |
| Usable on multiple devices | ✔ | ✖ |
| Synchronizes data between devices | ✔ | ✖ |
| Suitable for any organization² | ✖ | ✔ |
| Usable without internet³ | ✖ | ■|
¹ BICS Portal can be used on mobile; further improvements are currently being developed.
² BICS Portal is currently only available to vessel owner-operators. In the future, its functionality will be expanded so that BICS Portal can also be used by organizations with multiple users and relief skippers.
³ An active internet connection is always required to submit voyage reports.
Who can use it
BICS Portal is currently only available for vessel owner-operators. In the future, BICS Portal will gain additional functionality so it can also be used by organizations with two or more users, shipping companies, and relief skippers.
Getting started with BICS Portal
Those interested in BICS Portal must create a Rijkswaterstaat Inland Shipping Account and can then request access to BICS Portal for this account. This is described on the page Start with BICS. Once a request has been approved, BICS Portal can be used via www.bicsportal.eu.
More information
More information about BICS Portal can be found at www.bics.nl. If you have any questions, you can contact the BICS helpdesk.