Timeline of Changes

Veson Nautical is continuing its commitment to data standardization for the Veson client base. The first step in achieving this is the standardization of the UN codes in our Distances database. The process is comprised of multiple steps that are going to be rolled out in the following manner:

1. By September 24th: removal of duplicate UN codes (download the list of changes)

2. By October 1st: removal of the two-digit codes (download the list of changes)

3. By November 1st: addition of the official UN codes to the official port names as designated by the UN

   1. Nov 18, 2021 Update: We are updating the missing UN Codes incrementally and will continue to do so throughout 2022

Explanation of Changes

Removal of duplicate codes

There have been over 800 instances when a unique UN code was used multiple times in the system because of similar port names. For example, there were multiple ports that included the word “Houston” in their names, and each port had Houston’s UN code. In this example, we removed the duplicates and only kept one UN code for the port of Houston. By September 24th, we will be removing all duplicate UN codes.

Removal of two-digit codes

There were multiple ports that had two-digit UN codes that were usually the country code. This was used to accommodate integrations or fill in the gaps. However, there is a tag in the FullPorts.xml file <country> that includes the two-digit country code and should be used to reference in integrations instead of the UN code. 

Addition of official UN codes

For ports that previously didn’t have UN codes, but have one as assigned by the UN, we will compare the official UN lists and update our database with the appropriate codes. The full UN list can be found here: https://unece.org/trade/cefact/unlocode-code-list-country-and-territory

Risks and questions

November 18, 2021 Update: We have mitigated all integrations and ensured that all is in order. There should not be any failures.

These changes may have an effect on existing integrations. We highly recommend applying these changes to a test environment first to make sure the integrations are functioning. If needed, we are able to revert your distances version to the previous one.

These changes will only appear in IMOS or VIP systems after the Distances update, regardless if you use IMOS or VIP. The changes will be immediately available for the clients who subscribe to Distances API Web Service, Veslink Distances, and Veslink API. 

To request a Distances update in your system, please contact Veson Nautical Support.