Waves are not new to ports! So what is one more, even if it is an AI wave?

Ports are important links in complex logistics chains. The major ports in India have, over the last few years, transformed into smart ports, with IT and automation bringing about major gains in efficiencies. However, with the AI wave, the smart ports will have to become intelligent.

The digital initiatives include enterprise-wide business systems, the National Logistics Portal (Marine), Maritime Single Window module, Sagar Setu platform, and e-Samudra (unified maritime services portal). Processes earlier handled physically are now performed digitally.

The ‘One Nation, One Document’ and ‘One Nation, One Process’ (ONOD and ONOP) exercises launched last year showed that each port ecosystem (customs, immigration, health and so on) demanded its own set of documents and processes, many redundant. The exercises arrived at a core set of standardised documents and processes across ports, yielding efficiency gains.

Why AI in ports

AI can add value to the existing digital initiatives. It can further increase efficiency and ease of doing business, while lowering costs with gains in productivity.

AI can enhance project planning, provide decision support in operations, facilitate trade, ease compliance with safety and environmental norms, and rationalise energy usage. A pilot project by IIT-Madras for VO Chidambaranar Port in Thoothukudi to determine how AI can help in congestion forecasting and just-in-time berthing showed many potential gains, including savings on fuel and time.

AI requires enormous amounts of data to learn. Existing deployments are project-driven, terminal- or port-based and vendor-led, with the data being fragmented, the intelligence siloed and limited reuse of data across ports. So, even if an AI layer is built on top of this existing ecosystem, there is another ‘to-do’ list — AI needs to be institutionalised and treated as ‘digital public infrastructure’ (DPI).

This approach will lead to standardised data more interoperability and shared registries, services, identities, workflows and analytics, as well as ensure cyber-security. Without this, each port will keep inventing AI solutions individually, intelligence will remain locked inside vendor platforms, and there can be no cross-learning across ports. With DPI, models can be reused and improved with system-wide gains.

Challenges ahead

When it comes to the challenges in implementing AI at ports, firstly the existing fragmented data systems imply that AI cannot see the full system. Common port standards and registries can help resolve this issue.

Vendor lock-in with proprietary models can be avoided with open AI and modular services.

Weak decision-integration will mean dashboards without impact, which can be corrected by embedding AI into SOPs and workflows. Lack of institutional capacity will lead to either blind trust or under-use of AI, both of which are dangerous; mitigation can be through shared analytic platforms and training.

Accountability concerns can be addressed through models where humans have the final say and clear SOPs. A shared national framework in which port data standards and AI governance norms are well defined will help in deploying solutions across ports.

Intelligent vs smart

A thinking port will be decision-led, unlike a smart port, which is technology-led. The focus will be on judgment and trade-offs rather than mere automation, and predictive and anticipatory insights rather than simple real-time visibility. It will optimise across systems, rather than within silos, and plan for outcomes rather than just reacting to events.

Smart ports simply look at what is happening right now; thinking ports will look at what is likely to happen, what should be done and whether it may be the right choice.

Ultimately, AI should help the industry as well as governance. The next phase of port reform would be not about adding more technology but embedding intelligence into how ports govern themselves.

While smart ports can operate faster, thinking ports will be (hopefully) wiser and future-ready.

(Ramachandran was till recently Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways; Shreyas is a public policy and IT consultant. Views are personal)

More Like This

Published on April 6, 2026