Digitalisation in RoPax ports: a categorisation framework for digital solutions

Abstract

ABSTRACT The article explores the value-creation potential of digitalisation in RoPax port ecosystems. While digitalisation offers the possibility to overcome fragmentation in logistics and optimise business operations, its impact on the value creation within such port ecosystems remains underexplored. Understanding the complexities of value creation in this context necessitates adopting an ecosystem lens and acknowledging business actors’ interdependencies. The study is a single-case study of digitalisation efforts in a RoPax port in Northern Europe, supported by the benchmarking of five comparable ports. It develops a categorisation framework for digital solutions in RoPax ports to analyse which capabilities these solutions offer and how they lead to value creation for port authorities or other actors. This framework is based on the capabilities of such solutions and the digitalisation level they address. We also discern their value creation potential and mechanisms and highlight the differences between solutions that are implemented or being proposed. The framework serves as a reference point for solution providers to assess the role and value of their offerings, while also offering guidance to port authorities and stakeholders in identifying emerging technological opportunities. This research contributes to a deeper comprehension of digitalisation’s role in driving value creation in RoPax port ecosystems.