Despite unpredictable closures, global supply chain disruptions and workforce challenges, the maritime industry continues to battle and march toward a brighter future with trends and upgrades that can help alleviate any current pain points.
Let’s find out what these trends are and how they contribute to the world’s largest transportation industry.
Going Green
With the ongoing need to develop new approaches to limit carbon footprints, the maritime industry is taking a step forward by harnessing new technologies such as low-carbon fuels, more streamlined hulls, more efficient propellers, better voyage planning to save fuel, better hull coatings and even air cushions to reduce friction, according to Marine-i.
Growth of Intermodal Shipping
Intermodal shipping has grown in popularity in recent years, primarily because it uses less fuel than ocean shipping and because collaborators are constantly looking for ways to reduce fuel consumption. This shipping method involves the use of multiple modes of transportation to move goods from one point to another. One of the best-known forms of this is “piggybacking,” in which a transport unit is carried on the back of a train, for example.
Autonomous ships
With advances in artificial intelligence and sensors, autonomous ships are becoming a reality where they have the potential to increase safety, efficiency and environmental protection, among other benefits.
Mega-ships
The MOL Triumph, built in March 2017, is the world’s largest container ship. It is 400 m long and can carry up to 20,150 TEU containers. Although they may present some challenges such as port congestion, the advantage of these vessels is that they can reduce transportation costs, which is a desirable option for logistics companies.
These 4 trends are just a sample of how the maritime industry is evolving. The future holds more technological innovations that will optimize the global supply chain, reduce the carbon footprint and make the entire industry more sustainable
