There is a significant impact of ICT technologies on transport-related business, starting from fast and secure information exchange to the full automatisation of certain operations and processes.

For Danube ports, digitalisation is a new topic and they should follow the lead of the digitalisation development level of major European sea and inland ports. Seaports are forerunners in the digitalisation transformation/adoption trend.

Digitalisation of port business in the Danube region needs a special tailor-made approach and must be developed in a bottom-up way. It is not only a “copy & paste” process transferring solutions from other regions (e.g. the Rhine) to the ports of the Danube or from the seagoing ports to the much smaller business of the inland ports.

Ports along the Danube have different organisational structures and operational principles. Container terminals are often situated in or near the ports, but they are not necessary situated there due to curret container flow on the Danube (dominated mainly by small amounts of empty units on the waterway transport). The container business is not a core business of Danube inland ports, therefore container terminals are situated outside of ports far away the water connection.  Digital solutions for for this business are high developed and ready to bay on the market, but as mentioned are not the core element of port business itself.

When talking about digitalisation of port processes one has to focus on the really core processes of the port business: vessel management within the port, transhipment activities of cargo between water and land and all other corresponding items of harbour master activities.

The digital transformation of port activities shall be done in a 3-step approach to create firstly a PMS (Port Management System) and afterwards enlarge it with interfaces and connections to other platforms, going all the way to a PCS (Port Community System). The details of implementing these 3 steps are strongly based on the specific characteristics of a port and its national environment and therefore require a tailor-made approach for each port.

Further details are presented in the Strategy and Action Plan which was prepared by Ennshafen Port with the contribution of Pro Danube Management, which can be accessed here.