Canada’s Rapidly Evolving Smart Ports

Abstract

Ports face fierce competition in their quest to provide safe, secure, and efficient gateways in the global supply chain. The 4th Industrial Revolution is occurring in global ports as they take advantage of new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), digitalization, Internet of Things (IoT) and others, to leverage their supply chain eco-systems. In their third-generation phase, ports were “Intelligent”, now they are becoming “Smart” fourth-generation ports. Canada Port Authorities (CPAs) have not been left out of this rapid shift to “Smartness”. Smart Ports are agile and versatile digital platforms, able to operate and grow effectively in an increasingly unpredictable business environment. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated port ecosystem challenges and accelerated Smart transformation as Canada Port Authorities rapidly adapted to the new “touchless” reality to ensure resilience and continued service. Canada is poised to harness this rapidly evolving digitalized environment that touches all aspects of the Canadian economy. Through its many national funding programs such as the National Trade Corridor Fund (NTCF) and its’ provision to R&D organizations including the National Research Council (NRC), the federal government supports strategic investments to improve transportation system fluidity and performance, including adding capacity, alleviating bottlenecks and enabling automation. The federal government has also been active in developing and consolidating its’ regulatory framework to support the sustainable transition of the country’s economy and continuous development of Canadian businesses, including Canadian Port Authorities. The strong resiliency of CPAs allows them to undertake the challenging and resource-intensive transformation from a landlord port involved in land development to a fully integrated Smart Port operating as a network developer. Ports have benefitted in partnering with universities in cutting-edge research projects in transportation, logistics, big data, artificial intelligence, and digitalization. Canada Port Authorities have learned to leverage multi-disciplinary expertise in maritime law, urban planning, computer science and engineering to help them develop sustainable operational frameworks for their smart activities. Resiliency coupled with targeted government support has enabled CPAs to build and adapt to the emerging 4th technological Revolution. A good example is the Halifax Port Authority’s Port Innovation, Engagement and Research (PIER). “Having Bell on board is significant for The PIER. Bell’s world-class infrastructure will provide the coverage, reliability and expertise needed to deliver the port’s network of the future,” said Captain Allan Gray, President and CEO, Halifax Port Authority. “Together, with the expertise of all our founding partners, we will be able to develop sustainable solutions for our port with benefits reaching well beyond the shipping industry” (Saltwire in Bell named founding partner of The PIER at the Seaport in Halifax, 2021). This paper outlines the many innovative initiatives undertaken by major Canadian ports and their adoption of new Smart Port approaches and programs as they strive to remain competitive and relevant in today’s technological era.