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Smart port is a term referring to comprehensive strategies for digitizing seaports. It is an umbrella term that comprises using technological and digital innovation in a targeted manner to become more economically attractive, environmentally sustainable, and socially integrated. It usually also includes a new systematic and holistic perspective on port missions, service ranges and areas of responsibility.

The term is closely related to the smart city conception, portraying technological advancements as the primary tool for tackling global urban challenges like economic stagnation and inefficient services, climate change and environmental shocks and social integration or port-city relations respectively. [1]

Comparable to the smart city concept, there is no unified definition of Smart Port. The concept is used with different meanings in different contexts.Similar terms that relates with Smart port concept include port 4.0, intelligent port, digital port, port of the future, connected port, supply chain management port, chain port, green portand possibly others.

Terminology
Due to the heterogeneity of involved actors, implemented technologies and underlying motivations a single definition for “Smart port” is not yet available.

This is accentuated by the following attempts at a definition:


 * “[…] becoming more attractive and competitive. It means doing more with less.”[2]
 * “[…] ensure the security and continuity of […] facilities/processes and at the same time enhance […] competitiveness, not by increasing the volume of […] physical facilities, but by making their processes more efficient and intelligent, all from an environmental point of view.”[3]
 * “[…] maximizing local value instead of maximizing freight flows. […] The effectiveness of the smart port environment can lie in the ability of the technology and practices to work together to effectively exchange information, both for the benefit of ports and for their customers.”[4]
 * “a fully automated port where all devices are connected via the Internet of Things. A network of intelligent sensors and actuators, wireless devices and data centers forms the central infrastructure of the smart port, enabling port authorities to provide essential services faster and more efficiently. Various sensors including inertial sensors, ultrasonic sensors, eddy current sensors, radar, lidar, imaging sensors and RFID readers and tags are employed to collect the necessary data to transform the ‘port’ into a ‘smart port’.”[5]
 * “[…] a concept that makes it possible for the port to face up to the challenges of evolution, which can be divided into four major challenges

a)    The role of maritime governance with the adaptation of port infrastructures.

b)    The complicated management of economic and financial aspects;

c)    Budget to ensure safety, security and protection of the environment;

d)    Involvement of citizens in port activities.”[6] Smart port is a term referring to comprehensive strategies for digitizing seaports.  It is an umbrella term that comprises using technological and digital innovation in a targeted manner to become more economically attractive, environmentally sustainable, and socially integrated. It usually also includes a new systematic and holistic perspective on port missions, service ranges and areas of responsibility. The common denominator of all the existing approaches is that innovative Information and communications technology (ICT) solutions are being applied to advance the development of port infrastructure, operations and services, thereby safeguarding the ports’ future viability in times of increasing complexity, transformation and change. This includes utilizing existing capacities in the most efficient and resource friendly way and strengthening the port's collaboration with relevant parties with the aim of fostering economic stimulation and new development paths. [1]With ICT as fundamental term, various innovative technologies with advancement in Cyber-physical systems (CPS) and Internet of Things (IoT) have been formulated. These new technologies are identified by various researchers as the key aspects for Digital Transformation and the ongoing industrial revolution.

The term smart port is also used by various port actors including authorities, shipping companies and experts involved in port planning and management, as well as global technological and consulting corporations.

Regulatory perspective:

The development of seaports towards smart ports is promoted by institutions like the European Commission (EC), the International Maritime Organization (IMO) or the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The EC promotes the smart port development, e.g. under “Europe’s Digital Agenda” to strengthen innovation and investment in Digital and IoT enabled  services and by issuing a broad range of binding directives on transport and energy for the member countries and their seaports respectively. The IMO regulates the shipping industry with legal and technical recommendations and drives the smart port development through the implementation of global standards for seaports that entail corresponding investments. UNCTAD, inter alia, focuses on seaborne trade developments and provides recommendations for action for economic stimulation. The application of emerging technologies is a key area focus. [7]

Technological-commercial perspective:

This approach follows the digital innovation strategies, initiatives and programs of recent years, fostered by individual ports with International companies as support and by related interest groups like the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) or the chainPORT network. Especially the chainPORT network, a global consortium of seaports that individually promote the smart port development, is a key driver in this context. Its vision is to set up a global chain of interconnected smart ports that facilitate a seamless flow of data and information and joint service offerings in an international end-to-end supply chain, thereby approaching a co-operative development path. [8][9] The growing interest in the smart port concept is owed not least to global  companies like Cisco, IBM[10], Deloitte[11], BCG[12], ABB and T-Systems[13],which coin the term using it as marketing instrument to promote their solutions and products in the maritime industries.

Evolution of Seaports
From a historical or evolutionary perspective, the smart port can be understood as a the most recent development stage of ports. All along, ports have been operating as a social and commercial entity that constantly evolves and adapts to changing economic and business patterns, new technologies, regulations and governance regime.[14]Over the last few decades, many processes have been automated, including ship planning, shipyard planning, container flow control, etc. In recent years, ports have been facing significant challenges and increased pressure to enhance their service levels. Disruptive trends such as the IoT, big data, blockchain, virtual & augmented reality and port automation are expected to revitalise the industry in some years.[15]The importance of seaports, their further development in terms of roles, functions and governance as for example the different speeds of port development from a global point of view, have brought about a need for a methodology to classify ports according to different stages of development and generations of ports. In 1990, the UNCTAD developed an approach that classifies ports according to the generation to which they belong, considering, for instance, the respective port development strategy, the variety of port services offered and the extent of IT integration of companies operating as part of the port services market. This was an attempt to combine the development of seaports before the 1960s, after the introduction of large-scale containerisation in the 1970s and its development from the 1980s onwards, with modern, highly efficient equipment and facilities, computer technologies and intermodal operations. However, the overall process of port development within the UNCTAD model has been relatively time-discrete or "modular".[16] It was assumed that the development of ports from the first to the second and third generation historically depends primarily on size, but also on the motivation of decision-makers.[17] Arguing that fourth generation development based on the Internet and telematics was insufficient to reflect the port functions required by community stakeholders and the needs of port users in the rapidly evolving globalised economy, the fifth generation of ports was proposed in 2011 to balance the impact on the societal environment, nature conservation and customer focus in addition to the global maritime network and connectivity.[16] The "black-and-white" approach to the development concept of ports within the UNCTAD model is argued inefficient and inaccurate, while much effort was put into descriptive and qualitative studies in the port evolution literature.

Technology and Innovation
Recent advance in ICT over decades, create a variety of opportunities for sustainable port infrastructure, process and business development. Technology trends like Internet of things (IoT), big data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), etc. seem to hold the potential for rapid transformation of the port operation. Port infrastructure like quay walls, locks, roads and railways equipped with sensors enable real-time condition detection are proposed by researchers and IT companies in the hope that they will be able to open new levels, increase efficiency and reduce required resources for maintenance and development.[18][1] Sensor-based smart containers in conjunction with the blockchainand IoTtechnology addresses long existing challenges in logistics, for instance with respect to freight integrity, security, and efficiency.[19][20]Extended by advanced information and decision systems based on technologies like AI and big data processing this opens entirely new levels of monitoring and management of the flows of traffic and goods in a given port area and along the entire supply chain. In combination with automation of processes and operations e.g. via the use of automated guided vehicles for container handling or autonomous aerial, swim and underwater drones for inspection and data collection services, ports not only have opportunities for becoming more efficient, but also more attractive for their customers by developing novel service offerings and business models. [1]

Economy and Governance
Against the backdrop of global economic stagnation, the hope is for technological innovation to strengthen the market position of ports through digital networking and coordination. The ICT-enabled application of faster and cheaper processes or an improved utilization of existing and new resources are considered to provide new leeway for competitiveness and economic growth. Resulting knowledge advancements in digital transformation and smart port development are identified by experts to open novel business opportunities beyond an individual ports’ boundaries.[21]Initial signs of this development are, ports that drive innovation in the smart city context through innovation spill-overs into the surrounding urban areas or ports that scale their digital solutions internationally by offering consulting and advisory services to other ports or even entering completely new markets along the entire supply chain.[6]

Political and regulatory aspects do also play a crucial role in the smart port development. Promoting targeted business establishment policies on a local level shall help to foster ports’ transformation from pure industrial areas to innovation hubs. The development of such entrepreneurial business culture aims at attracting start-ups and established enterprises with innovative products, services, and business models attributed to the global knowledge society, which are intended to create new jobs and economic growth. As mentioned above, political institutions on a federal, EU- / international level are also promoting ports to become smart by investing in new Industry ready, IoT enabled and Digital solutions based on incentives like legal requirements or targeted funding programmes. [21][22][1]

Environment and Energy
The growing challenges connected to climate change lead to increasing public attention towards ports and the shipping industry as potential sources of environmental and social nuisances. This is especially true for ports located near urban areas, where emissions have direct impact on the quality of life of local inhabitants. ICT-enabled environmental protection and the continuous improvement of ports’ energy efficiency is thus viewed as a promising approach to address this issue. The smart port is expected to reduce emissions, energy consumption and waste as well as to achieve a real sustainable concept of the resource usage. [23][6]This is achieved through efficiency gains e.g. with regards to an optimized flow of traffic and goods in the port area, including for example a reduction of traffic of trucks searching for suitable parking spaces, alternative ship propulsion systems or alternative land based power supplies of vessels at berth.[1]The application of innovative solutions like motion-based illumination system or drones as low-cost option for bathymetry, infrastructure inspection or hazard patrol[16][18] are also considered promising starting points.

People and Society
The change of working environment induced by digital transformation does also affect the maritime industries and port respectively. Many traditional professions may be displaced by new job profiles that do not exist yet. The changing requirements on employees require new knowledge and skills, e.g. to handle novel technology, to innovate and to actively shape the ongoing transformation process. [24]Ports and organizations prepare themselves to empower their workforce to adapt to this development. Meanwhile, life-long learning, creativity, agility, customer-centricity, etc. are keywords that are perceived by specialists as ever-growing factors for human resource management departments in the port industry. But digital transformation does not only change job requirements, it is seen as an important driver for work simplification and safety. Robotics,augmented and assisted reality, automation, mobile devices or voice control demonstrates what might be possible in the near future. The growing pressure on traditional port activities and business models induced by digital change and disruption seem to alert the port sector and related industries to adapt and open to external influences for sustainability. This can be observed in new partnerships with cross-industrial, non-traditional, innovation-driven institutions and actors, e.g. in the context of open innovation. The increasing, IoT enabled and digitally driven transparency of port activities and their impact on surrounding urban areas, are perceived to realign strategically for a stronger integration of citizens and a consideration of their needs and demands. Port-city relations and stakeholder management are analysed as the key elements for future development and viability of ports. [1] [24]It is considered that the biggest challenge lies in the policy domain. Governments and regulators must assist ports in the social change induced by digitalization. Labour segments which are perceived to be at the highest risk of disappearing must be optimized and transformed with aggressive training and education programs.

Hamburg
The Port of Hamburg administered by Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) with different stakeholders has established its smartPORT programme in 2014. The main aspects of the programme with its emphasis on logistics and energy aims at strengthening the port competitiveness and sustainability by further developing and optimizing the port infrastructure and operations, as well as port-city relations in general. [25]The main aspects of the programme are reflected in the following example projects:


 * To facilitate better port operation, communication and cooperation between water police, pilots and VTS officers, a comprehensive coordination of the arrival and departure of ships from the port of Hamburg is essential. With modern control centre software and devices such as multitouch tables and port monitor apps(mobile and client) were developed that allows navigators at the Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) Centre to better plan their daily navigation tasks.  [25] [26]
 * Green4Transport investigates how traffic flows could be streamlined, emissions be reduced, and safety be enhanced by using Vehicle-to-X (V2X) technology on one of the busiest spots in the port – the Kattwyk bridge – where three modes of transportation (Road, Waterway, Rail) interact. [25] [26]
 * smartSWITCH is one IoT example project for predictive maintenance development in the Port of Hamburg. A real-time sensor network at the railway points of the railway tracks in the port area is used to monitor the severity of the switch movement.These sensor data will be collected, consolidated and displayed in a dashboard which aids to plan maintenance work more efficiently and resource-friendly in comparison with the current scenario.[25] [26]
 * The virtual container depot one of the digital infrastructure projects in collaboration with IBM for optimizing empty containers by synchronizing availability among shipping companies will avoid unnecessary, empty container transports, thereby adding economic value and protecting the environment. [25]
 * The port of Hamburg also developed a project for the shore side electricity support for the ship calledcold ironing terminal in Altona,the most advanced cold ironing terminal in Europe to offer an alternative source of energy when a cruise ship is at anchor. [26]
 * The port of Hamburg is geographically located in the city center and thus surrounded by urban area. Therefore, the city of Hamburg has strong connection to its port[27]andpromotes the exchange of knowledge and solutions between smart port and smart city. The port is being considered as innovation laboratory for potential smart city applications and the city supports the improvement of cross-industry, cross-authority and research collaboration.  Digital Hub Logistics, Hammerbrooklyn and Next Accelerator Logisticsare showcase activities to integrate start-ups and promote innovation in the entire logistics and transportation ecosystem. [26]

Montreal
The Port of Montreal adopted the concept of Smart Port to drive its business strategy. The ‘smartness’ in the smart port concept really comes from port’s ability to leverage data for strategic purposes. Smart ports are those who have positioned innovation at the core of their business strategy and perceive it as a market differentiator. For the Port of Montreal more specifically, its own definition comprises 5 core components:


 * 1) Entrepreneurial business culture: ports are increasingly migrating into non-core activities that reach across a widening range of the supply chain. Such activities may include port authorities acquiring and managing other ports, acting as management consultants, operating their own railways, barge systems, locks, distribution centers, launch start-up incubators, living labs, etc. In the case of Montreal, the port operates its own railway, is a leading stakeholder in Montreal’s logistics cluster (CargoM), and provides a variety of value-added port services, such as shore power, LNG bunkering, containerization of grain, etc.
 * 2) Smart infrastructure and equipment: robotics and IoT being increasingly common among port and terminal operations means that port authorities dispose of ever increasing amounts of data to optimize operations and planning. Ports also dispose of new processes and material to build smarter infrastructure. For example, the Port of Montreal introduced a soil encapsulation method for its latest container terminal, Viau, inaugurated in November 2016. Normally, the port would have extracted 44,000 metric tonnes of poor soil and replace it with a noble soil made mainly of crushed stone that we would have brought in from a quarry. Instead, this new technique made it possible to reuse 44,000 tonnes of bad soil extracted, to give it good solidity by mixing it with cement, and then re-deposit it at the bottom of the excavated area. By doing so, the port saved a minimum of 170 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
 * 3) Digital environment: the port authority is introducing a variety of emerging technologies to drive its digital transformation. A good example is the Port of Montreal Trucking Portal ( https://portmtltrucks.com/ ). Truck trips are captured at several points on port territory (milestones), tracking their movement and allowing the calculation of individual truck turntimes. This results in a comprehensive view of the traffic, bottlenecks and wait times at the various terminals. The information is sent to drivers in real time by means of a mobile application dowloaded on a mobile, or directly on the dispatcher’s computer. Truckers and dispatchers use this information to optimize their daily or weekly service routines and itinerary. Shortened turn times automatically result in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to reducing traffic congestion and increasing the flow of truck transport service. Shippers also benefit from enhanced port fluidity.
 * 4) Disruptive business models: e-commerce giants have acquired the status of disruptors as their business model has brought deep structural change into supply chain flows and processes. Ports are standing as disrupted entities having to adapt to new business models being introduced by their customers, partners and/or users. But why can’t ports become disruptors themselves? As with many other ports and leading maritime industry players, the Port of Montreal has launched a variety of co-innovation programs to leverage talent from start-ups. In September 2018, the port introduced a new partnership with CENTECH, a world leading and renown Montreal-based start-up incubator and accelerator. The port also participates into Canada’s innovation supercluster program (Scale.AI), a federal initiative seeking to introduce innovative AI applications into the Montreal supply chain. In addition, the port participates in a variety of hackathons, notably under its chainPORT membership. Through such initiatives and new partnerships, it aims to introduce novel digital solutions to existing logistics challenges to accelerate the digital transformation of the entire logistics chain.
 * 5) Sustainability: ports are part of integrated industrial clusters that leverage locational proximity of logistics services with their infrastructure. This clustering effect has several benefits, not least reducing urban truck movements and lowering the carbon footprint of their landside supply chains. The Maritime Strategy of Quebec was launched in 2015 and earmarked over 400M $ to build logistics clusters around port terminal facilities, notably around the projected Contrecoeur future container facility. In addition to this, the port also introduced measures to reduce its carbon footprint, such as shore power for cruise ships, shoreside LNG bunkering. It is a founding member of Green Marine, a voluntary industry-wide environmental auditing system that ranks ports based on their environmental performance. Montreal has consistently been a top performer since the founding of the initiative in 2008.

Criticism
The criticism of smart ports comprises the following aspects:


 * Investing in smart port technologies for their own sake is not smart. Without linking technology upgrades to an overall business strategy to maximize return on investment, smart port development is doomed to fail. [13]
 * The term “smart” is generally overused and oftentimes only serves as marketing instrument to signal digital progress and timeliness. [28]
 * The smart port concept suggests a one-size-fits-all approach, but ports should base decisions on what technologies to adopt on their role in regional and global trade and their specific needs. [13]
 * The smart port development relies heavily on the intelligent information infrastructure.[15]
 * ICT, however, should not be considered as the only tool of port development since it obscures the view for alternative development concepts, opportunities and paths. [29] [30]
 * A strong focus on Technological and IoT implementation neglects the people and processes perspective. Only the interplay among technology, processes-oriented perspective and people development ensures successful transformation. [31][21] [32]
 * Digital and cloud-based port infrastructure is prone to cyber-attacks. Too little is being done until now to protect critical infrastructure. [20] [33] [34]
 * A port ecosystem consists of multiple actors carrying out a wide range of tasks and having numerous responsibilities, as well as, different understandings regarding priorities in port development and diversified interests.[35]Currently, the smart port approach is frequently driven forward by port authorities. A holistic multi-stakeholder approach that integrates all relevant actors into the smart port development still is more the exception than the rule. However, a successful port transformation towards a smart port requires comprehensive development efforts. [36]