?? Ocean Mini Dives: Port Infrastructure

Global trade is still largely sea-based—with around 80% of cargo transported via sea routes.?

For any water adjacent countries, ports remain a central hub of financial activity. In the US alone, $5.4 trillion of economic value travels through ports every year. For coastal and island nations, these are even more critical to the economy.?

Ports are much more complex than just being an entry point for cargo ships. Infrastructure includes but is not limited to dock and quay facilities, machinery for container clearance, customs organisations, and the road, rail, and inland waterway connections from the port.

There are numerous challenges that face port infrastructure. From an economic perspective, efficiency is a huge challenge. Ports are not only an important gateway for economic activity, they must also retain their competitive edge over other ports and terminals. Any lapses in efficiency—whether that’s the optimisation of waiting times for boats or the speed of container clearance—can have profound knock-on effects.?

There is also a huge environmental challenge posed to these ports. Shipping currently accounts for 10% of all transport emissions, without even considering the associated rail and road infrastructure needed to transport cargo from ports. As the refuelling station for ships, ports will be a key focus of progress towards decarbonisation.?

We see a number of exciting opportunities in the port infrastructure space:

?? Automation & smart port technology

There are numerous opportunities to reduce human error and increase efficiency across port infrastructure, and automation will play a big part in this. AI and IoT technologies stand to transform all stages of the port experience, from terminal operations to cargo handling to transportation, and can have a big impact on efficiency of the supply chain

?? Port community systems?

A large part of port operations is still old fashioned and manual, with a huge opportunity for digitisation. We’ve seen growing interest in port community systems (PCS), a centralised digital operating system connecting all stakeholders in the port ecosystem, including port authorities, customs, and shipping lines.

?? Port decarbonisation

There are two sides to this. Firstly, reducing/eliminating carbon emissions from port operations themselves, whether that’s through installing on-site renewable energy, electrifying machinery and transportation, and efficiently managing waste. Secondly, ports are critical in managing the decarbonisation of maritime trade more broadly, providing clean power to ships.

?? Port monitoring & maintenance technology

Managing the condition and safety of ports is critical to their efficient operation. New technologies, like AI-powered predictive maintenance or monitoring systems, have a chance to reduce disruption and financial losses

Are you building in any of these areas?

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