EMERGING ECONOMY SMART PORT ADOPTION: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN DIGITAL MARITIME INFRASTRUCTURE TRANSFORMATION

Mohamed Elhussieny

Abstract


Technological progress in the global maritime sector is both an opportunity and challenge for developing nations adopting smart port technologies. While ports such as Rotterdam, Singapore, and Hamburg have success stories in the digitalization of global shipping, developing nation ports often lack basic infrastructure and other institutional gaps. Between 2020 and 2025, we focused on smart port technology in six emerging economy port case studies: Lagos, Alexandria, Conakry, Tema, Casablanca and Santos. We identified the persistent issues using the digital transformation metrics framework based on advanced ports. Stakeholders in the fragmented systems demonstrated inadequate operational processes, old and irrelevant policies, and low levels of technical know-how. Problems such as the operational systems, electricity, and internet were interrelated and compounded each other. Alexandria port is exemplary. It shows that operational sophistication is possible for emerging economy ports through global partnerships with international terminal operators, regional development, bank financing, and innovative cross-border collaboration. Alexandria Port is operationally self-sustaining and does not need to adopt the Northern European systems. With regards to this, the most illustrative is Misr terminal: combining clean energy systems with LED lights and smart digital systems for environmental management. The more general finding across all six cases identifies ‘functioning’ pragmatic solutions: the gradual implementation of technology instead of jumping to full automation, the prioritization of sequenced improvements based on the immediacy of value, and the integrated cross of digitalization and sustainability, as opposed to the compartmentalization of these two objectives. 

Keywords


Smart port technology, Digital transformation, Alexandria Port, Regional development, Environmental management, Digitalization, sustainability.

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DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21622/MARLOG.2026.15.1.76

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The International Maritime Transport and Logistics Journal (MARLOG)

E-ISSN: 2974-3141
P-ISSN: 2974-3133

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Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT)

Alexandria, Egypt