According to International Maritime Organization secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez, digitalisation is critical for greater efficiency in shipping. Digitalisation is the integration of digital technologies into shipping operations to enhance efficiency, safety and sustainability, leading to optimised routes, real-time monitoring and improved decision-making.
Technology is continuing to develop and become available to the maritime industry at an increasingly rapid rate, however what may not be as well-known are the global maritime programs seeking to embrace new technology, and more specifically, drive digitalisation and address current issues and challenges, readying the industry for the future with a greater focus on safety, efficiency and the environment.
Shipping is truly a global industry, however it could be said that standardisation around data capture, exchange and analysis in the maritime industry is lagging behind other industries. The good news is that there are many programs underway, with several significant standards being developed and implemented to address this gap, enabling the creation of real information for optimal planning and decision support.
Definitions are key as we talk about data and data-related programs. Starting from the top, we have the IMO’s e-navigation concept, which is essentially the harmonised use of information by electronic means to enhance navigation and related services. Put simply, it improves the safety and efficiency of maritime navigation by leveraging technology. While there is a formal definition for maritime services, they can easily be described as a range of digital information services, related to aids to navigation, vessel traffic and maritime safety information, all aimed at enhancing safety and efficiency at sea.
With the increasing collection, sharing and utilisation of data across maritime and other domains, the development and adoption of suitable standards is paramount in making this data available and compatible so that it becomes valuable in maritime digitalisation. The term harmonisation is critical in the digitalisation work, with the aim of data harmonisation being to connect all global stakeholders and enable collaboration, again leading to safer and more efficient shipping outcomes. This harmonisation has additional benefits in reducing and eliminating shipping data duplication and redundancy, which in turn gives even more value to the collected data.
There are many global programs and developments regarding maritime digitalisation underway, with some of the more notable activities being the Maritime Single Window (MSW) and the development work on the S-100, S-200 and S-400 standards.
The MSW is a digital platform that streamlines the exchange of maritime information, with the aim of improving and simplifying processes for ship arrivals, stays and departures, leading to greater efficiency of global shipping. The MSW does this by streamlining reporting procedures for ships arriving at and departing ports and enabling the utilisation of a single window to enter data once only, for use by all stakeholders, offering far greater efficiency to port operations. As of 2024, all IMO member states are required to use the MSW for all ship arrivals at ports.
Beyond the modernisation and efficiency that digitalisation offers the maritime industry a transformation in the management and navigation of global shipping is on offer.
The S-100 is a framework for digital information exchange and Common Maritime Data Structure within the IMO’s e-navigation concept, developed by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) for the primary goal of supporting a greater variety of hydrographic-related digital data sources, products and customers.
Within the S-100, a new generation of digital products are available, including Electronic Navigational Charts, Bathymetric Surface, Water Level Information for Surface Navigation, Navigational Warnings and Under Keel Clearance Management, with all of these enhancing vessel loading capacity, fuel usage and navigational room for safer manoeuvring, and hence leading to better planning and execution of maritime operations.
Extending on the IHO’s S-100, IALA is developing the S-200 product specification. The S-200 product specifications are compliant with the IHO S-100 standard and cover various areas within IALA’s scope, such as aids to navigation, vessel traffic services, positioning systems and communication systems.
Similar to the IALA S-200 development from the IHO’s S-100, the S-400 range of product specifications is being developed by the World Meteorological Organization and includes services such as: Ice Information, Weather and Wave Hazards, Weather and Wave Conditions and Weather and Wave Observations. The International Electrotechnical Commission is also developing product specifications within the S-400 series, including the development of a standard on route plan exchange.
The continued global collaborative development and adoption of these standards and rollout of related programs will see significantly greater use of technology in the maritime industry, as well as a genuine shift towards data harmonisation and digitalisation. Beyond the modernisation and efficiency that digitalisation offers the maritime industry and, critically, enabled by the new information derived from the rich and ever-increasing data, a transformation in the management and navigation of global shipping is on offer.
If genuinely embraced and implemented without bias or gaming across the globe, digitalisation can deliver significant improvement in the utilisation of resources, improved safety, reduced waste and lower risk to global shipping, thereby providing the planet with a more sustainable industry at a much lower cost.
Simon Brooks is a director with Vecturys and an expert in the design, delivery and sustainment of mission-critical transport technology and systems across land, sea and air domains.
This article appeared in the April | May 2025 edition of DCN Magazine
