The rapid rise of tech and AI is bringing on a new era of change at ports and terminals.
IT WAS in April 1956 that Malcolm McLean facilitated the shipment of 58 metal truck bodies from Port Newark to Houston, ushering in the age of containerisation in the maritime sector.
Since the humble 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) effectively brought about trade globalisation, change has continued apace in the world of ports.
This has been the case with digitisation and automation, particularly at container ports. And with the AI revolution seemingly upon us, the future seemingly is ‘here’ when it comes to ports at home and abroad.
Dr Vinh Thai. Image: DCN
Professor Vinh Thai from the School of Accounting, Information Systems and Supply Chain at RMIT said AI had “potential profound impacts on the Australian port sector”.
“In a nutshell, AI helps to enhance operational efficiency, for example through optimising berth and container yard planning and equipment deployment.
“Analytics tools such as digital twins in the port sector, empowered by AI, can help simulate to optimise all key aspects of port operations and management, thus enhancing efficiency and effectiveness,” Professor Thai said.
“This will directly contribute to transforming terminals into smart ports. Besides, AI can also play an important role in the conduct of predictive maintenance of port infrastructures such as berths and equipment.”
There are so many potential opportunities for port improvements with the application of AI port technologies… On the other hand, it’s also important to ensure job security through proper training, reskilling and new job creation.
Professor Vinh Thai
Professor Thai spoke of the trend for port technology development and application for efficiency enhancement.
He described the future of port technology as exciting but also challenging and “a balancing act”.
“On the one hand, there are so many potential opportunities for port improvements with the application of port technologies, including AI related ones,” he said.
“On the other hand, it’s also important to ensure job security through proper training, reskilling and new job creation.”
Kris Kosmala. Image: Supplied
Portugal-based business analyst and digital advisor Kris Kosmala says AI is helping better manage equipment allocation.
“Terminal equipment is becoming more costly, but so is capital. In the meantime, the port authorities working on new concessions and renewal concessions see concessionaires as a source of newest generation equipment or equipment renewals in the terminals,” Mr Kosmala said.
“That means the concession agreements include clauses of mandatory equipment investments. Theoretically, that equipment may belong to the concessionaire, but it is very likely that this equipment will remain in the possession of the port, even after the concession ends.”
Mr Kosmala said AI could limit capital expenditure by suggesting and then better deploying equipment.
“Today, decision makers of the terminal operator follow fixed ratios of ship to shore crane (STS) to berth length, terminal tractors to the STS, rubber-tyred gantries to the STS, etc.
“AI will rapidly change this and make those hard ratios as equipment fleet growth markers rather obsolete. The other aspect is the operation of the equipment itself, either using a remote operator or fully autonomous operation.
Mr Kosmala said the world of port technology was changing rapidly and yet “not rapidly enough”.
The pressure on the workforce to catch up and get ahead of technological progress is enormous.
Kris Kosmala
“The operators of the first wave of automated terminals thought of the basics and worked with individual equipment vendors to include those basics in the generation of the machines built then,” he said.
“Since then, some vendors started pushing the automation, autonomy and AI envelope much more proactively, in some cases outpacing the thinking of the people in the terminals responsible for automation.
“The pressure on the workforce to catch up and get ahead of technological progress is enormous.”
Mr Kosmala said AI would be central to the terminal operations of the future. Today, in many terminals the IT team can be asked to disable automatic generation of the plans or the optimisation algorithm runs.
“Such behaviour is tolerated by the terminal management team, so that has to change first. Older work procedures are not being replaced by something new, because the current generation of senior operations managers in the terminals is still stuck on their understanding of technologies about 20 years old,” he said.
Inbound Connect founder and chief executive, Luke Duffy. Image: Inbound Connect
Luke Duffy, founder and chief executive of Inbound Connect (a technology company focused on helping logistics facilities improve their operations) says “great swathes of the industry still don’t have good technology, including ports”.
Of late, Inbound Connect has worked on:
“So there is a constant demand, in the port environment, but also in the general supply chain, for real tech solutions to real operational problems.
“We have clients and users now in many different parts of the supply chain using our technology and processes to better manage arriving trucks and process payments for example,” Mr Duffy said.
Inbound Connect has provided its services to, among others, CFS/FAK depots, food manufacturing sites, 3PL/4PL warehouses, intermodal sites throughout Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.
There is a constant demand, in the port environment, but also in the general supply chain, for real tech solutions.
Luke Duffy, Inbound Connect
“There really is no end to it because the supply chain is so broad. So for us, it is about continually adding new features and keeping the technology and the concept improving all the time” he said.
“You don’t just sit there and watch it happen, we’re trying to innovate constantly and from a technology point of view, AI now helps us to do that more quickly.”
Mr Duffy said AI was an obvious area of focus, including at several major conferences in the US recently.
“We’re seeking to expand into the US market and we are quite well advanced at doing that. We've also been speaking to businesses who operate sites in Europe.
“A lot of it is about looking for solutions to handling congestion and arriving trucks. Between the changing technology environment and the demand from our clients and the desire to expand into new countries, we are pretty busy.”
Mr Duffy said variation in port types across Australia and New Zealand created market demand.
While Australian capital city ports are often technologically advanced, the story can be quite different in the regions.
“We can’t assume that all ports come from the same starting point. Many problems at capital city container ports were solved during the last 15 to 20 years by massive capital investment,” he said.
“But in my view that hasn’t trickled down very far. Australia has a lot of ports. If you take out those main container stevedores and start talking about non-containerised ports, automotive ports, breakbulk ports, liquid bulk ports and coal and iron ore ports, or containerised ports in regional places, they are often a long way behind.
“There is a big opportunity there for those ports to lift their game and we see ourselves contributing towards that.”
OneStop, a software solutions provider for freight and logistics, recently announced it had partnered with Goldlead Banksmeadow Depot to deploy OneStop's Modal platform and Vehicle Booking System (VBS) at its Port Botany facility in New South Wales.
The system went live on Monday, 1 June 2026, marking a step forward in the digital transformation of empty container park operations on Australia's eastern seaboard.
Purpose-built for empty container parks, OneStop Modal replaces manual, paperbased processes with a single connected platform that streamlines yard operations, container handling and transport coordination. Paired with OneStop's VBS, it gives depots and their transport partners end-to-end visibility across container movements, delivering greater certainty, efficiency and control throughout Port Botany's containerised freight network.
For Goldlead Banksmeadow Depot, the deployment will simplify coordination between transport operators, improve planning and reduce delays, equipping the depot and its partners to meet the demands of a growing freight network with confidence.
Customers and transport partners will benefit from real-time information at every stage of the journey.
The rollout is said to reflect a wider shift across the industry, as empty container parks increasingly look to replace fragmented, manual workflows with smarter, more connected systems that scale with demand.
"This partnership further strengthens our commitment to driving supply chain digitalisation across Australia," chief commercial officer, OneStop, Chris Harnett said.
"With partners such as Goldlead Banksmeadow Depot, we are helping reshape depot operations to build a more connected, data-driven future for Australian port logistics."
In a time of challenging geopolitics, anything that can help shippers make decisions on how best to move their freight is invaluable.
Portcast marketing director Devansh Bhikajee says Portcast is “a freight intelligence platform that connects one’s shipment data to one’s orders, contracts and invoices, where purpose-built AI surfaces risks before they escalate and recommends actions to protect your service levels and margins”.
The conflict in the Middle East has led to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting containerised shipping and supply chains across the Gulf and Asia-Europe routes. Carriers are suspending bookings and rerouting vessels, resulting in longer transit times, added costs and growing risk exposure for shippers.
“To support the logistics and shipping community during this disruption, Portcast has compiled a live spreadsheet tracking vessels likely affected by the Strait of Hormuz closure. The list is updated continuously as the situation evolves,” Mr Bhikajee said.
“Portcast provides real-time container tracking, predictive ETAs and port congestion insights to help teams assess exposure and act faster during disruptions, such as the ongoing Hormuz shipping disruption.”
Australian maritime engineering company OMC continues to progress via the evolution of its Dynamic Under Keel Clearance system (DUKC®) with its Series VI currently being rolled out.
Chief commercial officer Brendan Curtis said while the platform continued to deliver its core benefits including deeper sailing drafts, wider sailing windows and reduced dredging requirements, recent advancements were enabling ports to go further by optimising vessel scheduling and managing operational constraints with greater precision.
“The technology is giving ports a comprehensive understanding of the manoeuvrability and navigational expectations of vessels transiting under the prevailing environmental conditions, allowing ports to safely accommodate larger vessels with confidence of the operating limits and thresholds,” Mr Curtis said.
“This is supporting both capacity growth and navigational safety.”
OMC’s ODIN uses AI to modernise the traditionally manual process of reading vessel draft marks. Image: OMC
Key products include:
OMC’s ODIN is an interesting example of the use of AI to modernise the traditionally manual process of reading vessel draft marks. ODIN enables draft measurements to be captured in real time, improving accuracy while removing the need for personnel to work alongside vessels, thereby eliminating a significant safety risk.
“While ODIN is the most visible example, AI is now being integrated across OMC’s broader product suite, delivering deeper analytical insights, simpler user experiences and enhanced solution accuracy,” Mr Curtis said.
Mr Curtis said while systems were typically implemented at the port level, terminals and shipowners were also leveraging the technologies to optimise their own operations.
“In a recent example, a bulk carrier sailing from a port in the Pilbara to east coast Australia used DUKC®’s advanced voyage planner, combined with key risk metrics for transit and cargo discharge,” he said.
“The outcome was an increased cargo intake, reduced emissions and an additional USD $38,000 in revenue for the shipowner.”
Tech giant WiseTech Global recently launched a pilot with Hapag-Lloyd to trial ingesting and using location data transmitted from the shipping line's two million containers in its fleet.
The test integrates smart devices using the Internet of Things (IoT) to apply algorithms that provide highly accurate, real-time insights on container positioning, transit conditions and arrival predictions.
The information will be distributed through WiseTech’s ecosystem of platforms, including CargoWise.
More distribution channels are planned.
WiseTech can then distribute the location and positioning data to Hapag-Lloyd’s customers via a range of channels such as the CargoWise Cargo Tracker and Container Automation solutions.
WiseTech chief executive Zubin Appoo said the partnership represented important progress towards a more transparent, resilient and digitally-enabled global supply chain.
As the trial progresses, both companies are expected to review and refine the data quality, accuracy and usability of live IoT feeds at full scale, while gathering feedback from joint customers to inform further product development and commercialisation.
"The goal is to deliver a unique, value-added ocean container visibility solution that integrates seamlessly into WiseTech’s platforms," Mr Appoo said.
Global infrastructure company AECOM is bringing about change by way of electrification in the port operations sector.
AECOM vice president, head of ports, global transport, Isaac Wingfield, said electrification technologies were delivering “a step change in capacity, reliability and safety across ports globally”.
“For example, in modelling and simulating electric vehicle operations alongside charging infrastructure, operators are gaining significant value from integrated models that reflect both daily operations and charging demands,” Mr Wingfield told DCN.
“This is enabling more accurate infrastructure sizing, reducing the risk of operational delays and improving understanding of technology performance and reliability.
“Automated charging systems, both wired and wireless, are also emerging as a key consideration. As port equipment becomes increasingly automated, automated charging processes must follow suit to minimise disruption and maintain operational efficiency.”
According to AECOM, with ports investing in electric equipment, there is a growing need to design power systems and controls that support both automation and decarbonisation. This should include:
Charge management and digital operations systems that monitor and optimise energy use, helping manage peak demand and align charging with operational needs.
Digital twins integrated with asset management systems to support proactive maintenance and lifecycle management of new technologies.
Electrification and automation are enablers of more efficient, sustainable and modern port operations.
Isaac Wingfield, AECOM
Resilience systems that manage outages and enable rapid response to disruptions in charging and automated operations.
Containerised (“big box”) charging solutions that reduce the footprint requirement for charging and energy infrastructure.
“Ultimately, electrification and automation are enablers of more efficient, sustainable and modern port operations,” Mr Wingfield said.
“However, successful integration depends on a clear understanding of impacts on existing systems, infrastructure and operations. Without careful planning and implementation, these technologies risk introducing operational complexity and disruption rather than delivering their intended benefits.”
AECOM recently delivered a report to support Florida port authorities, operators, users and other stakeholders to understand the economic, operational, environmental, health and safety, resiliency and adaptability benefits of adopting electrification technologies.
“Ports are pivotal nodes in the global supply chain and play a crucial role as the main gateways facilitating trade and commerce. They are essential to the economies of cities and regions throughout the world,” Mr Wingfield said.
“The maritime industry globally is experiencing significant market drivers that are accelerating a shift toward electrification in maritime operations that are resulting in numerous benefits.”
This article appeared in the June | July 2026 edition of DCN Magazine