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1 INTRODUCTION
Ports play a crucial role in global supply chain
performance (Frazzon et al., 2019) and they also play
an important role in global shipping. They function in
the context of complex infrastructure, business
transactions, and regulations. With the global economy
demanding maritime transportation, ports have faced
increasing pressure to optimize their performance in
terms of economic, environmental, energy, and
functional challenges that impact their sustainability
(Molavi et al., 2020). Improving the efficiency of
operating activities while minimizing the impact on the
environment are increasingly prioritized of seaports
over stiff competition in global supply chains.
Incorporating advanced technologies connected with
the fourth industrial revolution, smart port has become
a strategic direction towards sustainable development
of modern seaports (Pham, 2023).
The term smart port is receiving rapidly growing
attention in the literature. There are several studies that
review the essence of smart ports. The term “smart
port” was first introduced in 1994, when the concept of
the intelligent transport system was introduced in the
ports of maritime transportation hubs, where the most
advanced information, communication, electronic
control, and computer processing technologies were
integrated into the traffic and transportation
management system (Lin et al., 2022).
According to Li et al. (2018) smart seaport can be
defined with following phrase “all parts of the port
terminal operations, warehousing, logistics, yard and
port transportation are closely connected through the
wireless network or special network, providing all
kinds of information for daily production supervision,
related government departments and port shipping
enterprises” (Li et al., 2018). Othman et al. (2022)
Systematic Review of Smart Ports: Trends and Future
Research Directions
E. Toomeoja, S. Gülmez & U. Tapaninen
Estonian Maritime Academy of Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
ABSTRACT: The concept of smart ports has gained increasing attention in recent decades. The academic literature
on smart ports has expanded considerably, yet remains fragmented. This study conducts a systematic literature
review to address three key research questions. Additionally, VOSviewer software is employed for bibliometric
mapping and visualization of keyword co-occurrence and thematic clusters. The findings identify fours dominant
themes, such as smart port concept and technological foundations, port development and intelligent systems,
performance-focused through digitalization and strategic governance and sustainability. In conclusion, the
literature reveals that smart ports are not defined solely by their technological capabilities but by their ability to
integrate innovation across infrastructure, operations, strategy, and environmental goals. Despite the lack of a
concrete definition, there is a growing understanding on the key components and objectives of smart port
development. Finally, the review outlines emerging gaps and proposes a forward-looking research agenda
focused on areas such as how to address the challenges in smart port concept.
http://www.transnav.eu
the International Journal
on Marine Navigation
and Safety of Sea Transportation
Volume 19
Number 3
September 2025
DOI: 10.12716/1001.19.03.24
896
describes the concept of smart ports to be in the
presence of a port in which the environmental impacts
are addressed, the efficiency of operations is
supported, and energy consumption is reduced. This
concept helps transform seaports into Smart
Sustainable ports in global supply chains. There are
five main groups that govern the smart port which are
the environmental group, the operations group, safety
and security, human factor and the energy group
(Othman, El-Gazzar, et al., 2022). Belmourikari et al.
(2023) conducted a systematic literature review on
smart port concept based on the literature and
described as following: ’’The smart port is a connected,
sustainable, safe and automated port, which relies on
smart infrastructure and equipment, skilled personnel
and smart managerial practices, to ensure customer
satisfaction, environmental protection and a better
quality of life for the citizen.(Belmoukari et al., 2023)’’
According to the studies, four major domains
emerged as central to smart port development:
technological foundations, operational performance,
governance and strategy, and sustainability
integration. In the technological domain, studies
highlighted the pivotal role of Industry 4.0 enablers,
such as IoT, big data analytics, AI, blockchain and
digital twins, in transforming port operations (Basulo-
Ribeiro & Teixeira, 2024)(Paraskevas et al., 2024) (Li et
al., 2023). In the operational performance domain,
findings emphasized that automation and intelligent
systems significantly improve efficiency, throughput,
and service reliability, but real-world adoption
remains uneven due to infrastructure, investment, and
interoperability challenges (Bakhsh et al., 2024)
(Boullauazan et al., 2023)(Alzate et al., 2024). Within
the governance and strategy domain, research
underlined the importance of stakeholder
collaboration, regulatory alignment, and strategic
planning for successful digital transformation,
although governance frameworks remain
underdeveloped (Li et al., 2023) (Paraskevas et al.,
2024). Finally, in the sustainability integration domain,
studies revealed growing convergence between
digitalization and environmental objectives, with
green technologies and standardized sustainability
KPIs increasingly seen as essential to smart port
competitiveness (Gerrero-Molina et al., 2024)(Alzate et
al., 2024). Together, these findings show that while
technological innovation has been the dominant
driver, the next phase of smart port development will
depend on integrating operational efficiency,
sustainability, and governance into a unified strategic
framework.
The motivation of this paper arise from the growing
attention to smart ports and previous systematic
literature reviews that have explored the smart port
literature advancement. For instance, Pham (2023) has
conducted a systematic and bibliometric literature
analysis based on Web of Science that pointed out three
main thematic areas in smart port literature and
suggested repeating the search. While previous studies
have made important contributions to understanding
smart port development, they have generally focused
on specific facets or periods, leaving a need for a more
comprehensive and up-to-date synthesis. Gerrero-
Molina et al. (2024) explored the convergence of green
and smart technologies, Boullauazan et al. (2023)
validated a practical maturity model and Basulo-
Ribeiro and Teixeira (2024) focused on Industry 4.0
technologies and adoption barriers. Paraskevas et al.
(2024) integrated conceptual, technological, and
performance perspectives in the Industry 4.0 context,
while Li et al. (2023) provided the first large-scale
bibliometric mapping of the field. Bakhsh et al. (2024)
offered a consolidated classification of performance
indicators linked to technological evolution and Alzate
et al. (2024) conducted a comprehensive review of
operational efficiency and sustainability in smart ports.
Each of these works advanced the field but was limited
in either temporal coverage, thematic breadth, or
methodological integration. Existing literature covers
different aspects of smart ports, describing the concept
of smart port and technology in use, but where smart
port literature is expanding and which aspects of smart
port could be explored, is not clear. This study aims to
bridge this gap by systematically consolidating
existing knowledge by categorizing the clusters in the
literature.
To investigate the current advancement of smart
ports in the literature and future domains, the
following research questions have been formulated.
− R.Q.1 What is the current advancement in smart
port literature?
− R.Q.2 To what direction does the smart port
literature evolute?
− R.Q.3. What are the possible future research areas in
the smart port domain?
This study adopts a hybrid review approach,
combining a PRISMA-guided systematic literature
review with bibliometric co-occurrence analysis using
VOSviewer. Unlike purely bibliometric works such as
Li et al. (2023), which focus on mapping research
networks, or purely qualitative literature reviews such
as Bakhsh et al. (2024), this approach integrates
quantitative trend and network analysis with in-depth
thematic synthesis. This dual method allows to capture
both the structural evolution of smart port research and
the substantive thematic developments, producing a
more comprehensive and actionable understanding of
the field.
The research utilizes the PRISMA framework to
conduct a systematic literature review, aiming to
investigate the current state of art of smart port
literature in Web of Science database. This systematic
literature review is conducted to assist both researchers
and maritime industry practitioners to understand the
research gaps of previous studies. Considering the
broadness of the topic regards to smart ports,
systematic literature review (SLR) is necessary to
explain the breakthroughs of past contributions
regarding current state of art, how the smart port term
has evolved over the years and to which direction the
smart port domain discussions could evolve in the
future research.
The structure of the paper is as follows: Section 2
describes methodology of completed systematic
literature review method using PRISMA approach.
Results and discussion section describing the results of
literature review are visualized with VOSviewer in
Section 3. Finally, Section 4 draws conclusions of the
research work, and it outlines the main results as well
as provides directions for future studies and research
areas.
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2 METHODOLOGY
A systematic review methodology was adopted to
analyze and synthesize the existing state of art in
specific database. Systematic literature review (SLR) is
used for giving an overview of current state of art. This
method is particularly suited for consolidating current
knowledge, offering a structured approach to listing
each stage of the research process and ensuring the
reproducibility of the findings.
Furthermore, for this study the PRISMA (Preferred
Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-
Analyses) framework was chosen as it provides
standardized and transparent process for reporting
systematic reviews. It has been also gained widespread
acceptance and proven effectiveness in conducting
systematic literature reviews across diverse disciplines.
The subsequent sections provide a detailed
explanation of the methodology and outline the
proposed frame.
PRISMA offers the advantage of incorporating
specific procedures that promote consistency,
transparency, and adherence to high standards in
generating qualitative research reports. This method is
known as a systematic process because it follows a
clear protocol for production and has a broad scope
that includes all pertinent and reusable materials
(replicate) that previous researchers who have taken a
similar approach to the topic have used to discuss it.
Researchers can benefit from accessing works from
reputable and well-known databases by adopting a
systematic approach using the PRISMA method in the
social sciences. This approach allows for the use of
keywords to clearly define the scope and limitations of
the study. These rules also prevent writers from
wasting time and second-guessing if the highlights of
their work are sufficient. Through the four procedures
of identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion,
PRISMA assists the author in finding the appropriate
literature in accordance with the study’s objectives
(Jamaludin et al., 2020).
The proposed framework for review is presented in
Fig 1. A systematic approach based on PRISMA has
been applied to cover the published articles over the
last decades. The PRISMA procedure streamlines
objectivity and permits the researcher to evaluate the
review’s quality and it also provides a guideline that
consists of items in the form of a checklist to improve
transparency and clarity in reviews (Page and Moher,
2017).
For identification phase we have established a
comprehensive set of criteria to be employed to Web of
Science database to retrieve the articles that align with
the research objective, exploring the smart port term in
the literature. Only one data base Web of Science was
used to ensure about the quality of articles. Web of
Science is the leading and prestigious academic
database. To retrieve high-quality content and increase
reliability of studies, only one databased was chosen
for this research, as Web of Science includes peer-
reviewed and high-impact journals. For instance, a
search with keywords’’smart port’’ was conducted in
order to understand the situation in the literature
considering all the topics on smart ports. The time
frame was not set to review all the articles related to the
topic. To ensure the quality of the data, we limited our
search to peer-reviewed journal articles published in
English.
Figure 1. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews
and Meta-Analyses flowchart for systematic review.
In the screening phase, the initial search yielded 279
articles taken as of 02.05.2025. The next step involved a
detailed assessment of the titles and abstracts where
the articles were reviewed to determine their relevance
to the research focus. This screening resulted in the
exclusion of 225 articles that did not relate to smart port
term itself, its advancements or foresight for the future
of the smart ports. Additionally, we excluded
conference papers and book chapters to maintain the
high quality of the final dataset.
In the eligibility phase, the remaining 51 articles
underwent an abstract review. Each article was
carefully assessed for its eligibility, focusing on its
relevance to smart port terminology.
In the last phase of inclusion, 51 articles were
identified as fully relevant to the study, and included
by conducting in-depth analysis. These articles form
the basis for addressing the research questions related
Fig. 1 above presents the PRISMA flowchart, which
visually outlines the entire review process, from
identification through to the final inclusion of
studies.VOSviewer leveraged the analysis of the
articles to identify the latent structure of the smart port
literature, VOSviewer is a useful visualization tool for
analyzing vast number of keywords and their
connections, while showing different clusters in
different colours.
3 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
This study reviewed 51 articles, which were directly
related to the keywords inserted to the database. There
was no time limit set, the selected articles were written
between 2018 and 2025. The evolution of extracted
articles is shown in Fig 1. There is a significant increase
in published articles after 2019. The highest number of
898
articles (14) were published in 2022. There was a slight
decrease in 2023, which followed an increase in 2024.
As the data was collected in May 2025, the number of
publications for 2025 is not accurate.
Figure 1. Number of publications over the years. (Source:
Web of Science).
In Fig 2 it was revealed that smart port literature
citations have been increased drastically in recent
years. That explains the growing attention and studies
in smart port field.
Figure 2. Citation report. (Source: Web of Science).
In this section, VOSviewer was used to visualize the
clusters within the research area. The visualization
results obtained from VOSviewer experiments is
shown in Fig 3. The analysis revealed the existence of
four research clusters focused on the following main
thematic areas: smart port concept and technological
foundations, port development and intelligent
systems, performance- focused through digitalization
and strategic governance and sustainability. The
coloured lines between clusters reflect the cluster-
relatedness, with a line width indicating the number of
citations between clusters.
Figure 3. Network visualization (Source: created with
VOSviewer)
At the center of this network lies the term ‘smart
port’’, which connects those four dominant clusters to
each other. These clusters directly inform the first two
research questions.
The first cluster (red) can be named as smart port
concept and technological foundations, which forms a
distinct cluster in the network. The visualization relates
smart ports with technology, challenges, concept,
information and order, which indicated to articles that
focused on establishing the digital and conceptual
infrastructure for smart ports and also that a
substantial portion of the literature is devoted to
exploring and refining the core technologies
underlying smart port system.
There are several studies that define the concept of
smart port. According to Karas (2020) smart port is an
idea without a very specific definition. Therefore, this
is a one of modern development perspectives in ports
and shipping where the concept is still undergoing
transformation. The idea of smart ports is not only
management of technological processes, but also
digitalization, increasing the efficiency of operations in
ports, integration of ports with cities and acquiring
energy from alternative sources. Smart port - the new
model of management is a series of innovative tools
used on technological and organizational level (Karaś,
2020). Yen et al. (2023) integrated previous studies to
define general smart port concept as the concept
characterized by environment, automation and
intelligence (Yen et al., 2023). Smart port is not only
associated with the technological procesess. For
instance, Chen et al. (2019) and Molavi et al. (2020)
proposed five key aspects for a smart port that should
have: smart infrastructure, well-educated personnel,
automation, skilled workers and environmental
awareness (Chen et al., 2019)(Molavi et al., 2020). Smart
infrastructure and automation are directly related to
the technology and indicating to the smart port
concept. As mentioned before, smart ports are mostly
associated with using technology in order to improve
the smart port operations. Yet, there are challenges
when trying to automate processes. Triska et al (2024)
proposed conceptual framework that contributes to
defining the relations between smart ports and
intelligent systems. Molavi, Lim, and Race (2020)
concluded that they have all the infra-structure and
info-structure of IT and new technologies in
telecommunications, electronics, and mechanical
equipment, gather better-educated individuals, skilled
workforces, and automation to promote knowledge
development and sharing, optimize port operations,
increase port resiliency, lead to sustainable
development, and ensure safe and secure activities
(Molavi et al., 2020). Karas (2020) describes that
technological innovations give the opportunity to
create so-called Smart Ports. However, determining
which technologies to choose, how to implement them
remains a challenge (Karaś, 2020). Othman et al (2022)
highlights the essence of using technology to facilitate
process imprvements across port logistics. In addition,
By going smart, connectivity and automation will help
decrease environmental foot-prints of the port
industry, as will smart transport systems that reduce
CO2 emissions (Othman et al., 2022). Smart port
applications have other dimensions that affect their
characteristics, related to scope of decision-making and
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level of information sharing among stakeholders
(Triska et al., 2024).
The second cluster (blue) can be named “ port
development and intelligent systems. The keywords,
i.e. port, development, intelligence and use may be
conceptually linked to the strategic management of
ports. This cluster highlights research that explores
how legacy ports are being upgraded to accommodate
new digital technologies. Furthermore, this cluster
emphasizes the transformation of existing port
infrastructure through the integration of smart
technologies. According to Gonzales et al. (2020),
digitalization is a fundamental factor for a port to
become more intelligent (Rodrigo González et al.,
2020). In addition, as mentioned in the previous cluster,
according to Molavi et al. (2020), an intelligent port has
all the infrastructure and info-structure of information
technology and the most recent technologies in
telecommunications, electronic, and mechanics
(Molavi et al., 2020). (Xiao et al., 2022) introduced a
framework of smart ports including production
operation, production management, intelligent
services, risk management and control, and intelligent
scheduling. There are plenty of systems that can be
applied to smart ports, which makes them more
intelligent. However, a smart port is a certain level of
development in port. There is still a long way to go to
reach the mature concept of port and probably is not
the final step in port development (Karaś, 2020). Gao et
al. (2022) conducted a literature review on data
governance issues in applying the advanced IoT
technologies in the smart port operation and highlights
that the Internet of Things is considered to be the
foundation of the innovation and high-level
automation of the smart ports, IoT data governance is
essential for ensuring the stable and efficient operation
of the smart ports. However, there may still be required
in-depth study as the IoT implementation become
complicated for high-level automation and is deeply
integrated with the current port infrastructure(Gao et
al., 2024). (Zhou and Suh, 2024)explained the smart
port development to be connected with using cutting-
edge technology, which has become the most common
approach to increase port efficiency. Sadri et al. (2021)
concluded that as stated in previous research, green
and smart ports are the primary strategy for the
development of industrial infrastructure and maritime
transit industries. Therefore, evaluating the efficiency
of ports is very important in terms of compliance with
the indicators of greenness and intelligence (Sadri et
al., 2022).
The third cluster (green) can be named
performance- focused through digitalization. The
following keywords appear: Industry, impact, internet,
efficiency and thing. This cluster suggested a strong
focus on performance outcomes and technological
convergence. Industry 4.0 is closely related to smart
ports. However, the four industrial revolutions did not
affect port operations in the same way that they
affected manufacturing (Triska et al., 2024). To be
labeled smart, a port does not have to handle the
information of all machines, environmental aspects,
and stakeholders in real-time. Instead, the port is smart
to a certain degree if it has one or more smart
applications, in a similar way that smart objects may
have different levels of intelligence (Triska et al., 2024).
It is expected that future fully automated smart ports
will be data-driven, harvesting power from advanced
analytics and artificial intelligence. Under the hood,
Internet of Things (IoT) technologies are considered as
an enabling foundation of new data sources for
innovations and high-level automation. Although the
IoT adoption in smart ports receives significant interest
from the port authority, the effectiveness of the IoT
adoption lacks proper evaluation and support of
comprehensive data management policy and
guidelines (Gao et al., 2024). Therefore, the authors
highlighted the complicity of IoT implementation for
high-level automation. For instance, when it comes to
efficiency, Zhou et al. (2020) explored the key
challenges and critical success factors of blockchain
implementation. According to the authors, blockchain
has the potential to improve the efficiency and
transparency of maritime businesses and operations
(Zhou et al., 2020). Sadiq et al. (2024) investigated in
their study the development of next-generation smart
ports, wherein the integration of Internet of Things
(IoT) and sensors transforms ports into intelligent
hubs. The research highlights the potential of smart
ports to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
optimize energy consumption, and enhance
operational accuracy. Similarly to previously
mentioned study, (Yau et al., 2020) conducted a review
of the research literature on smart ports, including
Internet of Things platform, greenhouse gases
emission reduction, energy efficiency enhancement.
The fourth cluster (yellow) can be named as
strategic governance and sustainability . The following
keywords appear: strategy, port operations and
sustainability, which are deeply connected as the port
strategy defines port operations, which is, in turn,
associated with the sustainability of port. This indicates
a growing recognition of the need for long-term
planning, environmental stewardship, and policy
frameworks to guide smart port development. As
Karas 2020 connects smart port concept to port
strategy, he defines: ’To make the Smart Port concept
an element of port strategies, it takes a lot of courage
and creativity from the ports. And modern ports
without intelligent solutions cannot survive the
intensity of competition. (Karaś, 2020)’’ Due to the fact
that the port is a diverse area, all activities must take
place at the terminal level and at the port level.
Implementation based on the concept of a Smart Port
should bring benefits to stakeholders and the port
authorities (Karaś, 2020). When it comes to
sustainability, there are many studies connecting smart
ports with sustainability. Port development and
management can also use road mapping to explore
how digital technologies can advance the smart and
sustainable development of ports, port cities, and
global value chains (Liao et al., 2023). According to
Othman et al. (2022) there is no integrated vision
provided before to capture different comprehensive
elements of smart port and show its impact on
sustainably. Therefore, this research aimed at
developing an integrated smart port index SPI,
capturing different elements of SP and linking them to
port sustainability performance. The same authors did
another study, which investigated to what extent the
Egyptian ports could apply the smart practices and
employ technology to achieve and improve
sustainability performance through identifying the
current situation of the Egyptian ports’ performance
and investigating the level of readiness and
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adaptability to smart port practices and technology
employment in the Egyptian ports across five factors–
operations, energy, environment, safety, and human
resources–and their influence on achieving and
improving sustainability performance (Othman et al.,
2022). As already mentioned, there is no certain
definition for smart port, (Lin et al., 2022) stated there
is no standard definition of a smart port, resulting in
each country having its own smart port development
strategy. Therefore, they explore how varied port
governance of port authorities may impact the smart
port development strategy (Lin et al., 2022) The study
also relieved that different countries on different
continents have different focus, when it comes to smart
port management.
Based on Fig 4. there is visible how literature has
evolved over the time starting with port, technology,
development, information and industry, which opened
a discussion about how intelligence affect smart port
and its concept, relating the impact of Internet to the
industry, also connecting the use of technology to
sustainability. Finally, starting a discussion on port
operations that are affecting efficiency, which are
determined by the strategy of the port.
Figure 4. Overlay visualization. (Source: created with
VOSviewer).
4 CONCLUSION
This systematic review makes several novel
contributions to the advancing smart port literature.
Unlike earlier works that focused on specific aspects—
such as technological innovations (Gerrero-Molina et
al., 2024), performance metrics (Bakhsh et al., 2024),
operational efficiency–sustainability integration
(Alzate et al., 2024) or conceptual definitions (Li et al.,
2023)(Paraskevas et al., 2024)—this study bridges
technology, operations, strategy, and sustainability.
Using a PRISMA-guided review of 51 journal articles
(2018–2025) from Web of Science and VOSviewer co-
occurrence analysis, four thematic clusters are
identified: smart port concepts and technological
foundations, port development and intelligent
systems, performance-focused digitalization, and
strategic governance and sustainability. This hybrid
bibliometric–thematic approach connects previously
fragmented research streams into a holistic framework.
The concept of the smart port lies at the intersection
of multiple interconnected research clusters, each
contributing to a comprehensive understanding of its
evolution. The literature indicated that while the smart
port remains an emerging and fluid concept, it is
fundamentally rooted in technological innovation,
digitalization, and strategic transformation. The first
cluster underlines the foundational role of technology
and conceptual definitions, highlighting both the
opportunities and challenges of adopting smart
systems. The second cluster emphasizes the gradual
transformation of existing port infrastructure into
intelligent systems, driven by digital technologies and
strategic development. The third cluster focuses on
performance outcomes, with strong links to Industry
4.0, Internet of Things, and automation, reflecting a
clear trajectory toward data-driven and efficient port
operations. Finally, the fourth cluster connects strategic
governance with sustainability, underlining the critical
role of long-term planning and policy in shaping
future-ready, environmentally conscious ports.
In conclusion, the literature reveals that smart ports
are not defined solely by their technological
capabilities, but by their ability to integrate innovation
across infrastructure, operations, strategy, and
environmental goals. Despite the lack of a concrete
definition, there is a growing understanding on the key
components and objectives of smart port development.
The research points to a dynamic transition in global
port systems, where intelligence, efficiency, and
sustainability are becoming central pillars of
competitive advantage and future growth. The
transition to an intelligent port requires port
authorities to prioritize innovative technologies and
management practices to be adopted according to their
specific challenges and limited resources to face
current and future challenges (Belmoukari et al., 2023).
The findings reinforce and extend earlier insights:
Industry 4.0 technologies and automation remain
central (Basulo-Ribeiro and Teixeira,
2024)(Paraskevas et al., 2024), sustainability–
digitalization convergence is a core trajectory (Gerrero-
Molina et al., 2024), standardized sustainability KPIs
are needed(Alzate et al., 2024), and technology–
performance integration is essential (Bakhsh et al.,
2024). The review confirms (Li et al., 2023) observation
that the “smart port” definition remains fluid but
anchored by pillars such as automation, connectivity,
sustainability, and stakeholder integration.
Nevertheless, this study differs from prior works in
three ways: 1) it combines bibliometric mapping with
qualitative synthesis, unlike purely bibliometric (Li et
al., 2023) or purely narrative reviews (Bakhsh et al.,
2024); 2) it uses only peer-reviewed journal articles for
a curated, high-quality dataset; and 3) it captures
developments through 2025, including digital twins,
AI-driven optimization, and resilience strategies. By
addressing gaps in governance, socio-economic
dimensions, interoperability, and sustainability
metrics, this study provides an up-to-date, evidence-
based roadmap for advancing smart port research and
practice.
Those four clusters analyzed, there arise questions
on what are the areas and domains that are still missing
from the literature. Most studies focus heavily on
technology and systems, but limited attention is given
to human factors. Furthermore, there is a lack of
research on cross-port digital interoperability and
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global standards that enable smart ports to operate as
part of a coordinated global logistics chain. The
literature underrepresents economic modeling and
policy evaluation for smart port investments.
Therefore, future studies could explore how human
operators interact with AI-systems in hybrid decision-
making processes.
Another idea could be investigating collaborative
smart port ecosystems, including shared services,
cybersecurity resilience, and cross-border IoT
integration. There is also the possibility to perform
cost-benefit analyses and economic impact studies of
smart port technologies over time.
The primary limitation of this study lies in the
exclusive reliance on a single data source, namely the
Web of Science database. To enhance the
comprehensiveness of the findings, future research
could incorporate additional reputable academic
databases, such as Scopus and Google Scholar.
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