BPA and Rotterdam launch smart ports paper

(Posted on 08/08/19)

The British Ports Association has launching a new joint smart ports paper with the Port of Rotterdam examining port digitalisation.

The paper is part of the BPA Port Futures programme. Port Futures is a thought leadership programme where the BPA teams up with industry partners, innovators and experts on exciting topics.

Commenting on the paper, Joyce Bliek, Director of Digital Business Solutions at the Port of Rotterdam Authority, said: “Our logistics and maritime sectors face a number of economic and ecological challenges. Digitalisation presents new opportunities to not

only raise efficiency within logistics chains but also improve their sustainability. As the Port of Rotterdam, we strongly believe in the added value of a global network of connected ports around the world. Such a network can facilitate the active exchange of data, both within port communities and between individual ports. In Rotterdam, we are making a dedicated investment in our digital development. And we rely on the knowledge, experience and innovations we have amassed in this field to support other ports – from vision to realisation. The BPA’s Port Futures programme gives close attention to technology and automation.”

This aligns with our own ambition to gradually build up a global digital port landscape. We look forward to sharing our knowledge and experience in this field with the BPA members, in the hope that we can both inform and inspire them. Indeed, this is why we have teamed up with the BPA to offer you this white paper: a jointly developed guide for gaining insight into your port’s digital maturity level. What’s your maturity level – and which step comes next?

Commenting on the paper, BPA Chief Executive Richard Ballantyne said: “We are delighted to be working with the Port of Rotterdam examining how smarter operations could deliver a wide range of benefits to the ports and logistics sectors in the UK and beyond.

Smart port operations can offer new ways of improving port services and infrastructure by getting the most out of our assets and joining up different parts of the supply chain within and beyond ports.

This paper sets out some of the benefits of smart operations and how ports can benefit. Ports of all sizes face similar challenges in adapting to new technologies and developments in the industries we serve. Smart port operations will give ports the edge in becoming greener and ultimately, more efficient in serving the wide range of industries we support.”