In the era of automation and digital transformation, the shipping industry is undergoing dramatic changes to increase efficiency and safety at the port and on the high seas. From small boats to massive container ships, these seafaring vessels are integral components of the global economy. Ships transport approximately 90% of all worldwide commerce, according to the United Nations.

Maritime companies are developing the next generation of autonomous ships and leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and more to design 21st-century smart ports. That said, inherent within digital transformation is of course the transformative process itself. Historically, some ports have relied on rather low-tech, manual solutions.

“They have guys out with ropes and they measure the length of the ship or the width of the ship and then they decide which dock it’s going to go into,” Kyle Connor, Global Transportation Principal at Cisco, said.