“Informating” vs. Automating the Maritime Industry

by Vassilis C. Papakonstantinou

Once again this year, Piraeus is hosting Posidonia. Many people will rush through the doors of the Piraeus Exhibition Center but, thus far, only a handful have visited the World Wide Web site that hosts Posidonia 96 web page1. Its presence on the web may not be as fancy as some would have expected; however, it officially marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the shipping industry. What is different about this new chapter is the important role that information technology (IT) is about to assume.

Some people may argue that such a chapter started a long time ago and that the IT has been offering important services to the shipping industry for more than a decade. Arguments of this kind may possess some truth. However, their exact interpretation depends on how people define IT. The former argument does not intend to diminish the value added to the shipping industry thus far. Instead, it attempts to give a better insight about what is out there and how it can be used to leverage the business processes within the industry. It is the role of IT that is expected to make the difference, not the presence itself.

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