The smart port agenda has grown exponentially in recent years. Major hubs such as Singapore, Hamburg, and Los Angeles have embraced the use of digital tools to continuously improve operations and invested heavily in everything from cyber resilience to digital twins. But when it comes to digitalization, the majority of the world’s ports are often overlooked. Small and midsize ports make up the backbone of the global maritime economy. These ports are more focused on enabling flexible, resilient, and specialist supply chains for a variety of cargo types and not ever-increasing container volumes. Though the headlines often focus on technologies for major ports, there is a quiet transformation going on in the world’s small ports.

In this session, we will bring together a small panel of experts to understand the emerging technology landscape for small and mid-sized ports including:

1) What new digital solutions are being adopted in the small and mid-sized ports sector and what impact are they having?

2) How can small and mid-sized ports work together to support innovation and R&D that meets their needs?

3) How should technology providers approach working with ports that are at different stages on their digitalization journey?