Tariffs, sanctions, and wars reflected heavily on one industry – Maritime. In 2025, the movement of cargo was heavily tested; while global seaborne trade reached approximately 12.9 billion tonnes, logistical efficiency was often crippled. Ongoing security risks kept Suez Canal transits roughly 70 per cent below 2023 levels by mid-2025, forcing vessels to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope. Despite these hurdles, the freight rates increased by 7 per cent to $26,836 per day.
Crucially, the industry has turned to data as a survival mechanism: roughly 69 per cent of shipping companies now report using AI or advanced data analytics for route optimisation and fuel efficiency. Central to overcoming all these challenges will be a unified platform such as a Port Community System. While these happenings continue to shape the industry, here are the key trends for 2026 for technological innovations in the maritime industry.
Smart rerouting
In 2025, escalating security threats in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait forced most global shipping to avoid the Suez Canal, rerouting vessels around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. This added up to 10–15 extra days, higher fuel costs, insurance premiums and supply-chain delays, with container traffic through Suez sharply down and freight rates elevated.
The maritime industry is witnessing a shift from passive optimization to autonomous AI Agents capable of managing port call scheduling, collision avoidance, and compliance documentation with minimal intervention. Central to this evolution is Smart Rerouting, which synthesizes real-time data and dynamic risk analytics to proactively secure safer, cost-efficient paths that curb both emissions and delays. By integrating predictive threat monitoring with core fleet management, this technology serves as a direct resilient response to the Suez disruptions of 2025, allowing vessels to adapt instantly to a volatile geopolitical landscape
Address cyber-risks
Cyber threats against maritime and port infrastructure surged in 2025. Incidents such as GPS spoofing, ransomware, APTs and other attacks disrupting navigation and logistics systems, reflecting a sharp rise in incidents targeting critical maritime operations. Reports show malware detections, ransomware and supply chain compromises affecting vessels and ports globally, with cyber risk now one of the top industry concerns.
A unified Port Community System (PCS) can reshape this landscape by centralizing real-time threat intelligence, standardizing security protocols, and automating secure data exchange among vessels, terminals and logistics partners. By integrating cybersecurity monitoring, identity access control and anomaly detection across the entire port ecosystem, a unified PCS reduces fragmentation, accelerates incident response, and builds resilience.
Sustainability in maritime practices
Sustainability continued to be central to maritime strategy as regulation and climate imperatives reshaped operations. Shipping still contributes roughly 3 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, prompting adoption of cleaner fuels, energy-efficient technologies, and emission tracking tools to meet IMO targets and new regulatory regimes like the EU’s FuelEU Maritime standards.
2026 marks the commercial entry of ammonia-fueled two-stroke engines and a surge in wind-assist propulsion (rotor sails), which are now delivering third-party verified fuel savings of up to 25%.
Digital systems—like unified Port Community Systems—enable transparency in emissions, real-time environmental compliance, and collaborative planning, helping reduce carbon footprints while enhancing operational efficiency and industry resilience.
Equitable integration & transformation
In 2025, maritime transformation accelerated—but unevenly. While large carriers and global ports adopted AI, automation, and green technologies, smaller ports, regional operators, and SMEs risked being left behind. Equitable integration and transformation focuses on closing this gap by ensuring shared access to digital infrastructure, standardized data frameworks, and capacity-building initiatives. “Smart Ports” are expected to reduce labor costs by 25-55% while increasing container throughput by up to 35%.
Technologies like unified Port Community Systems and interoperable platforms democratize participation, allowing all stakeholders to plug into global trade networks securely and efficiently. When transformation is inclusive—not fragmented—the maritime ecosystem becomes more resilient, competitive, and future-ready, enabling sustainable growth that benefits ports, people, and trade corridors alike.
Volume-value chaos
In 2025, shipping lines split strategies—some chased volume to maximize asset utilization, others pursued value through premium services and yield management. This divergence sets up 2026 for chaos, where prioritizing one over the other becomes increasingly unsustainable amid congestion, volatility, and margin pressure.
A Port Community System (PCS) can be the game changer. By enabling real-time data sharing across ports, terminals, customs, and logistics partners, PCS improves berth planning, cargo visibility, and turnaround predictability. This operational clarity allows shipping lines to move higher volumes efficiently while protecting service quality and pricing discipline—finally balancing value and volume instead of sacrificing one for the other.
In conclusion
As the maritime industry moves into 2026, the tension between chasing volume and protecting value will only intensify. Fragmented decisions, limited visibility, and siloed operations will continue to fuel uncertainty. A Port Community System emerges as the strategic equalizer connecting stakeholders, synchronising data flows, and enabling smarter, faster decisions across the port ecosystem. By improving predictability, reducing inefficiencies, and aligning all participants on a single digital backbone, a Port Community System empowers shipping lines to scale volumes without eroding value. In an era defined by volatility, PCS is not just an enabler—it is the foundation for balance, resilience, and sustainable maritime growth.
Learn more about our Maritime Port Community System
Technologies
Success Stories
Articles
Newsletter
Testimonials
Industry Initiatives