Building on previous deliberations during IAPH Data Collaboration Committee (DCC) meetings, the first meeting of the DCC Automation group took place virtually on 8 February. More than 30 members gathered, to brainstorm on the agenda and objectives of the group going forward. The meeting was facilitated and chaired by Pascal Ollivier and Gadi Benmoshe, respectively DCC chairman and vice-chairman, while the discussions were supported by introductory presentations from stakeholders including Terminal Industry Committee (TIC) 4.0, Conbo.ai, and NextPort by Moffatt & Nichol. Participants agreed that automation in ports is a complicated issue to tackle jointly, as it often entails diverse approaches and stakeholders’ interests in different ports. ‘Change management’ was nevertheless identified as a key common issue for further exchange of practices between ports. As a next step, those participating felt it would useful to work on a white paper or similar document which works towards establishing a common vision on automation from a port authority perspective. Improving interaction between port community systems and terminal operators’ systems would also form a good basis to initiate dialogue with terminal operators. Following further correspondence, the Automation group will meet again in a few weeks’ time from now to confirm its concrete work programme and deliverables.
