CONFERENCE RECAP: DIGITAL PORT MANAGEMENT
Digital port management Turning data into better decisions
P orts have never lacked data. The challenge, increasingly, is knowing how to use it. That was a central message of the “Digital Port Management — Data-Driven Performance for Pacific Ports” session at the Association of Pacific Ports’ 112 th Annual Conference in Guam. Moderated by Rigo Cisneros of Jacobs, the session featured Aldo Ferrufino, Jacobs’ Ports & Maritime Regional Market Solutions Leader for the Americas West, and David Yeo, CEO and founder of Innovez One. The discussion focused on a funda- mental question facing ports through- out the Pacific: How can digital tools and better use of operational data translate into measurable improve- ments in port performance? Ferrufino emphasized that ports already generate enormous amounts of information through vessel move- ments, cargo operations, equipment, infrastructure, environmental mon- itoring and other activities. The dif- ficulty is that the information is frequently fragmented among different
How can digital tools and better use of operational data translate into measurable improvements in port performance?
systems, departments and organ- izations — of particular relevance for operating with limited resources while simultaneously managing aging infra- structure, growing trade requirements, climate risks and increasingly complex regulatory expectations. Digital transformation, the speak- ers suggested, should therefore begin with a practical assessment of how a port currently operates. What infor- mation is being collected? Where is it stored? Who has access to it? How quickly can it be retrieved? And, perhaps most importantly, can it be converted into information that helps people make better operational decisions? Technology is only as useful as the information and processes supporting it. For Ferrufino, the objective is not to digitalize for the sake of digital- ization. Instead, technology should
address a clearly identified operational challenge. This approach can be par- ticularly valuable when ports are plan- ning major investments. Better data can help establish a baseline, iden- tify bottlenecks and determine where investments are likely to deliver the greatest operational benefit. It can also support longer-term planning. For example, data can help ports understand berth utilization, vessel waiting times, equipment per- formance, energy consumption and emissions. Once reliable measure- ments are established, port leaders can begin tracking performance over time and identifying opportunities for improvement. This creates a cycle of measure, understand, act and measure again. The result is a shift from relying pri- marily on anecdotal information or historical assumptions toward a more
Rigo Cisneros, David Yeo and Aldo Ferrufino provided insights into digital port management.
October 2026 — PACIFIC PORTS — 49
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator