Page 20: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Mar/Apr 2019)

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INSIGHTS

Using Technology to Streamline

Operations in Container Shipping he container shipping industry faces many challenges, par- gine manufacturers, to produce engines locally rather than ship- ticularly when it comes to increasing uncertainty in the ping them from elsewhere.

T global political and economic environment. The issues be- As a result container shipping companies need to look at in- tween the US and China over trade relations and Brexit in Europe novative ways to become more ef?cient and streamline their are testing the industry, plus increased regulations and market operations to remain competitive. With 90% of all cargo being ?uctuations are having a big impact. delivered across the oceans, technology has a vital role to play

How container shipping companies operate now and in the fu- in connecting vessels and of?ce teams. Technology can help cut ture is changing and staying ahead of the curve is crucial for sur- costs and facilitate process optimization and is something com- vival. Predictions suggest there will be far less container shipping panies should embrace. in the future as the trend for consolidation continues. Smaller op- erators are being pushed out as larger global carriers take over. The Future of Shipping Technology

Last year it was suggested that the 10 largest operators control Technology is reshaping the container shipping business, help- 60-70% of the global capacity. ing to improve ef?ciency and streamline processes. One of the

Further consolidations are expected in 2019. The trend towards hot topics just now is ‘smart shipping’ – highly automated or au- more goods being bought and produced locally, rather than com- tonomous vessels. The Clyde Co and IMareEST Technology in ing from China, means there is likely to be far less container ship- Shipping Report found that most respondents forecast the intro- ping needed in the future. Technologies such as 3D printing are duction of smart shipping in the next 10 to 15 years.

also having an effect as they enable companies, for example en- Companies such as Rolls-Royce even suggest autonomous 20 Maritime Logistics Professional March/April 2019 | |