Tech
Cruise ship Albatros
Digitalization set to revolutionize
shipping – new United Nations
report
T
echnological advances including artificial
intelligence, the Internet of Things, blockchain
applications, autonomous ships, drones and
others have the potential to boost efficiency in the
global shipping industry, says the 2018 edition of
UNCTAD’s Review of Maritime Transport.
Since growth in demand for seaborne trade
is running ahead of supply, according to the
latest data in the report, new technologies
could introduce much-needed cost, time and
environmental efficiencies.
“Digitalization has the potential to add wind to the sails of global
seaborne trade, if leveraged effectively,” UNCTAD Secretary-General
Mukhisa Kituyi said launching the report, which this year celebrates 50
years since it was first published in 1968.
Many current blockchain technology initiatives and partnerships
can be used for tracking cargo and providing end-to end supply chain
visibility, the report says. The technology can also be used for recording
information on vessels, including on global risks and exposures,
integrating smart contracts and marine insurance policies, and digitizing
and automating paper filings and documents.
“Vessels and their cargo are becoming part of the Internet of Things
by combining on-board systems and digital platforms. Developing
countries will have to ensure that both, their IT and their transport
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Credits : www.cruisemapper.com
systems, are prepared to connect to global logistics networks,” Shamika
N. Sirimanne, Director of the UNCTAD’s Division on Technology and
Logistics, said.
Many technological advances are applicable in ports and terminals
and offer an opportunity for port stakeholders to innovate and generate
additional value in the form of greater efficiency, enhanced productivity,
greater safety, and heightened environmental protection. Concretely,
digitalization can improve data availability to track and measure port
performance for improved decision-making and planning. It can also
improve efficiency, enhance productivity and increase the safety and
environmental performance of ports.
In the light of these developments, the report says, ports and
terminals worldwide need to re-evaluate their role in global maritime
logistics and prepare to effectively embrace and leverage digitalization-
driven innovations and technologies.
But a key challenge will be to establish interoperability so that
data can be exchanged seamlessly, while ensuring at the same time
cybersecurity and the protection of commercially sensitive as well as
private data, including in view of the recent European Union General
Data Protection Regulation.
As for autonomous ships, in addition to safety, security, and
cybersecurity concerns, fears may arise for the jobs of seafarers, the
majority of whom come from developing countries, the report says.
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