Smart Technologies and Digitalization

Predictability of goods delivery asks for planning data to flow, the COVID-19 pandemic taught us. Two years and a lot of talk later, it has become clear that achieving data collaboration in a fragmented supply chain is anything but straightforward. As centralised platform solutions have met their limitations, complementary decentralised methods of data collaboration are promising but still under development.

Located in Brazil’s southernmost seaport, Rio Grande Container Terminal has repeatedly demonstrated a forward looking approach to technology since opening its gates in 1997. Known as Tecon Rio Grande, the operation has earned a reputation as a high-productivity facility connected by water, road and rail, with a capacity of 1.42 million TEU.

The intermodal industry is constantly on the lookout for new solutions to make operations more sustainable. For terminal operators, it is vital to reach their sustainability goals and at the same time improve their performance and cost-efficiency. With new approaches, a fully electric power supply for container handling equipment can be achieved, also in exceptional cases where it was not possible before.

On 7 February 2023, MSC Belgium introduced ID-based container pick-up, at MSC PSA European Terminal (MPET) in Antwerp. This is a critical step for the future of cargo shipping – not just because it makes the process more efficient. The technology protects not only the security of the overall container, but the cargo inside, as well as the security of all personnel interacting with the containers.

Nine of the top 10 ocean carriers’ recent commitment to a fully standardised, electronic bill of lading (eBL) by 2030 is a significant step towards fully digitalising container shipping processes. Digitalisation is important for many reasons, not least because it builds resilience into global trade’s complex supply chains. It enables more accurate and timely information to be rapidly and seamlessly exchanged so that all stakeholders can have true visibility into the whereabouts of goods as they make their way across supply chains.

At a recent joint symposium organised with the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) and BIMCO, and hosted by International Maritime Organization (IMO) to mark one year until it is mandatory for ports in Member States to operate Maritime Single Windows (MSWs) for the electronic exchange of information, a senior development official commented: “Given the importance, one is a little surprised at the lack of progress”. Observers might suggest that, as with so much over the last few years, the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed work on reaching this goal but in many cases, in fact, rather than involuntarily applying the brakes, the urgent need to reduce human contact caused by the pandemic became an unexpected driver towards digitalisation.