The eighth in a series of conferences known as e-Navigation Underway, cohosted by the Danish Maritime Authority and IALA has just closed. 150 Participants from five continents joined the hosts on a conference cruise steaming Copenhagen-Oslo-Copenhagen from 24 to 26 January.

Debate at the conference was lively with a strong focus on applying digitalization to real world uses, it was reported. Some of the specific discussions on digitalization centered on topics such as digital port reporting, cyber security, and how Coastal States can apply new tech to become better at their job.

Harmonization and data standardization was another hot topic. Different standards hinder effective digitalization across the maritime sector leading to more, not less, manual effort. There is need for the industry to strive for global standards.