Improving Port Operations through the Application of Robotics and Automation within the Framework of Shipping 4.0

The fourth industrial revolution, referred to as Industry 4.0, is the integration of wide-range of new technologies aiming at digitizing the Business Model Ecosystem (BMES) of industrial supply chain. The Industry 4.0 paradigm has been expanded to various industrial sectors, Farming and Shipping to name a few. Within the shipping industry, ports play a major role in a nation's economy and growth. Around 75% of the trade between the European Union and the rest of the world is managed at ports. This implies that efficiency must be improved by automating port operations to increase the potential for economic growth. This paper discusses a day-today port operation of delivering on-demand supplies from port to vessels and proposes to automate the end-to-end delivery process. The proposed solution relies on the coordinated actions of an automated boat, Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) and ground station to deliver the supplies from port to vessels to make the delivery process time and cost efficient. The paper presents a detailed framework in the form of system architecture and subsystem design to realize the solution while ensuring safety and reliability in transportation.