Abstract

Port operations and management, like other industries, are undergoing a digital transformation process that influences existing business models and operational practices in a multifaceted way. The transformation in the industry through the adoption of different technological devices, mainly termed smart port, could bring profitability, sustainability, and operational efficiency in the port operations and systems. The study aims to explore the smart port management framework, practices, and barriers to implementing smart port practices in considering the context of Chattogram port authority (CPA). Existing literature has rigorously been analyzed to frame the smart port structure. Furthermore, the three related groups of CPA, namely port users, port administrators and wider port communities, have been surveyed to investigate the barriers to implementing smart port practices. In that case, interpretive structuring modeling (ISM) has been used to find the cause-and-effect relationship among the drivers. It has been identified that the technological knowledge of port users and employees and resistance to changing the status quo are the influential barriers to implementing smart port practices at CPA. However, the barriers of the port governance model and govt. patrons and support have been found as the driving factors in implementing smart port practices. The study expects to have an immense impact on the adoption of smart port practices in developing countries like Bangladesh.