Towards Smart Port Infrastructures: Enhancing Port Activities Using Information and Communications Technology

In this digital age, ports face stiff competition in global supply chain. Smart ports, as high performing ports, utilize information and communications technology (ICT) to provide a wide range of smart applications, resulting in vastly improved vessels and container management among others, which subsequently improve the competitiveness and sustainability of the national economy. While various novel solutions, such as information system and locating system, have been proposed to improve smart port activities, there are several key issues pertaining to ports and port operations that warrant specific attention, particularly greenhouse gases emission, which has accelerated to an alarming level. The urgent need to address such issues is lacking. This article aims to offer a review of the research literature on smart ports, including Internet of Things platform, greenhouse gases emission reduction, energy efficiency enhancement, and so on. The objective is to establish a foundation of existing research conducted on smart ports in order to motivate new research interests in this area. Open issues are also presented to foster new research initiatives on smart ports.