In order to understand the present and future trajectories of maritime digital transformation, it is useful to first revisit its origins. The invention of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) in the 1960s, and the invention of the Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) in the mid-1980s, are two early examples of significant digital transformation in shipping. ECDIS represented a giant leap in the way ships navigated around the world. Before then, the basic methods used by the most advanced ships of the day differed little from those of the age of sail. Measurements were taken with analogue instruments and the results were plotted by hand on paper charts.
The transformative effect of EDI and electronic chart plotting extended beyond the bridge, planting seeds which would precipitate a mindset shift towards more wholesale digitalisation. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) took an early interest in ECDIS following a presentation from the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) in 1985, but the first ECDIS performance standard wasn’t published for another decade. However, in 1995, the green light was given for the type-approved commercialisation of ECDIS, coinciding with the establishment of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Starting around this time, the rapid development of the Internet and satellite communications technologies had such an immediate impact on global scientific and technological cooperation that, less than 10 years after the release of their first digital performance standard, the IMO was announcing
their much more comprehensive ‘e-Navigation’ concept. With it, the IMO sought to respond to the rapid advancements in digital technology through, “The harmonised collection, integration, exchange, presentation and analysis of marine information on board and ashore by electronic means to enhance berth to berth navigation and related services for safety and security at sea and protection of the marine environment.”
Where ECDIS enabled the ‘digitisation’ of charted navigational data, it was the acceptance, standardisation, and widespread adoption of the e-Navigation concept that resulted in an early
‘digitalisation’ for shipping. Though similar, the two terms have very different meanings, with the former
meaning to simply replace an existing process with a digital tool and the latter meaning to entirely
transform the process based on digital capability.
In the 16 years since its release, the use of digital technology at sea and ashore has grown exponentially. Internet-enabled tools such as smartphones, laptops, tablets, wearable devices, and social media are now used by 5.4 billion people worldwide. That is 63% of the global population. In just over 30 years, the digital data revolution has completely and irreversibly changed commerce and industry in almost every way, and maritime operations are no exception.
To learn more about the origins of maritime digitalisation discussed in this article, take a look at our thought leadership report, produced in collaboration with Lloyd’s Register, The Benchmark: Measuring the Progress of Digital Transformation in Ship Operations. This report provides a deep dive into the journey towards digital maturity for maritime businesses. You can download a copy here.
