The pandemic-driven surge of digitalisation has led to a
near-triple increase in average daily data consumption per vessel – from 3.4 to
9.8 gigabytes between January 2020 and March 2021.
The report, written by consultancy Thetius and sponsored by
the Inmarsat Research Programme, estimated that by 2030 the digital maritime
industry will be worth $345 billion, up from a previous forecast of $279
billion.
“Global trade facilitation saw an explosion in the use of
digital tools including massive growth in consumer demand for e-commerce and
the use of online booking platforms for shipping freight,” the report wrote.
“2020 saw a small dip in spending growth on digital tools
developed specifically for the maritime industry. However, overall there was
significant investment in general IT infrastructure.”
Ports that had already invested in digital systems before
the COVID-19 pandemic, have reaped the rewards: the Port of Gothenburg’s
existing automatic gates and digital contractor permit system cut down on
face-to-face contact and simplified their transition to “the new normal” brought
about by COVID-19, added the report.
Looking ahead, decarbonisation is the biggest long term
issue facing the industry, the report added.
Digital tools “can play a strong role” in the immediate
future of the industry’s decarbonisation journey – for example, there is
evidence of fleet-wide fuel savings of up to 20% just from changing the
handling behaviour of a ship’s bridge team.
Stefano Poli, VP Business Development, Inmarsat Maritime,
commented, “Digital solutions are now pervasive in maritime, and one
consequence of COVID-19 has been that our customers – and their customers –
increasingly think digital first.
“The last 18 months
have been challenging, but they have also brought a seismic shift in attitudes
in favour of IoT-based solutions for crew connectivity, safety, sustainability
and ship efficiency.”