Shipping in the environment of Industry 4.0 technologies

The paper analyzes various aspects of the impact of technological progress on maritime business in the future, with the aim of providing a unique view of this process. The research methodology is based on critical analysis of data content, synthesis of findings and qualitative-descriptive approach in presenting results and drawing conclusions. The paper offers a comprehensive overview of transformative future technologies and the influence of their potential implementation in three maritime sectors (commercial shipping, nautical traffic, and the exploitation of ocean space) and three business areas (ship design and construction, maritime transport services, and supporting port infrastructure and services). An attempt was made to synthesize the potential benefits and concerns of integrating new technologies into maritime operations. The challenges of the introduction of automation and digitization are analyzed in particular, including opportunities and threats for maritime stakeholders, with a focus on the perspective of seafarers as key actors. The technological transformation of the maritime business is presented as an evolutionary process, through the short, medium and long term. Areas of special attention for a successful transition to fully autonomous shipping are presented in the conclusions. Additional questions that emerged during the research and which require further consideration in searching solutions are raised at the end of this paper.