Digitalization and the use of data has a massive impact on the maritime industry.

The maritime industry is a highly innovative sector that currently is on the verge of digital transformation and on cutting edge of efficiency. The industry is the core component of some of the most complex logistics operations in the world. Companies in this sector are rapidly witnessing changes in their way shipments are controlled and supply chains are managed. Digitalization and the use of data has had a vast impact on the maritime industry. With the growth and development of technology, ships have become sophisticated sensor hubs and data generators, producing and transmitting information from anywhere, often in real-time. Simultaneously, advances in satellite communications are improving connectivity, increasing the volumes of data transferred at a rational cost.

These digital information flows are driving the use of data services, allowing the maritime industry to make better-informed decisions more quickly, and creating more efficient and responsive organizations. Data services typically provide businesses with unprecedented analytical capabilities and enable them to derive value from the right data. By leveraging the right data, shipping companies will be able to create a comprehensive, operational maritime overview, manage fuel consumption, envisage ETAs and minimize operational costs. In addition, ports can use data to detect and predict risks and improve safety in the port area.

Use of Big Data in the Maritime Industry

The maritime sector is facing unprecedented changes and challenges as they are making digital transformation endeavors. New cloud-driven solutions such as big data platforms and digital twins are started creating a dramatic effect on how the industry manages information and how vessels and their components are designed, developed, tested and deployed.

As big data has the potential to transform the industry, it is creating new opportunities to drive innovation and deliver tangible operational efficiencies across the shipping world. Although big data has significantly benefitted industries ranging from finance to healthcare and media to telecommunication, its adoption by the maritime industry has been slow.

According to an Ericsson report, the industry lags behind other transport industries in terms of its use of information and communications technology. There are a few numbers of marine companies currently make use of big data. By leveraging big data technologies, the industry can derive enormous value. As the sector produces around 100-120 million data points every day from various sources such as ports and vessel movements, companies can assess these data points to identify efficiencies such as quicker routes or preferred ports. This results in an extra 5 percent to 10 percent increase in performance.

Moreover, ships spend a significant amount of time either anchoring or moving nearby the port harbour and anchorages. These waiting times, along with the waiting times inside the port cause a significant impact on current and future vessel’s fuel consumption end emission of the greenhouse gasses, particulate matter, NOₓ, and SOₓ, adding to the port’s operating impact on the local environment.

Thus, data have become increasingly crucial in the maritime industry for the provision of services, such as in case of predictive maintenance services, usage tracking, route planning, resource planning and other additional services.