The International Maritime organisation has set out a timetable for a global strategy on maritime digitalisation following work at the 49th session of its Facilitation Committee in London from 10 to 14 March 2025.
The Committee said the strategy, intended to create a more interconnected, harmonised and automated global maritime sector, is planned for adoption by the Assembly by the end of 2027. It tasked a newly formed Correspondence Group with defining the strategy’s scope, objectives and implementation framework and asked for a report to be submitted to FAL 50 in 2026.
The Correspondence Group will be required to identify existing and emerging technologies, standards and methodologies relevant to the sector. The IMO said the group must also align proposed work across the organisation’s committees to avoid duplication and promote interoperability.
At FAL 49 the Committee advanced several concrete instruments that will feed into the strategic work. Members approved a new version of the IMO Compendium on Facilitation and Electronic Business, and advanced enhanced Maritime Single Window Guidelines alongside targeted work on cybersecurity for Maritime Single Windows.
The IMO pointed to the mandatory Maritime Single Window regulations as a central plank for the strategy. Those regulations require ships and ports to use a single digital platform to exchange information and streamline port-call procedures, and the strategy will build on that regulatory baseline.
Scope and aims
The Committee framed the strategy as a means to foster harmonisation and automation across the global network of ship operators, ports and service providers. According to the Committee’s work plan, the strategy will set out objectives and an implementation framework that can be applied internationally.
The Correspondence Group’s remit will include mapping technological maturity and standardisation needs, together with recommendations on how the IMO can coordinate its technical and regulatory work across committees. A substantive report is due to FAL 50 in 2026, which will inform the final strategy ahead of Assembly consideration.
Standards, guidelines and cybersecurity
Work advanced at FAL 49 is expected to supply practical building blocks for the strategy. The updated Compendium on Facilitation and Electronic Business and the revised Maritime Single Window Guidelines are intended to improve consistency in how information is exchanged between ships and ports.
Cybersecurity for Maritime Single Windows was highlighted separately, reflecting the Committee’s view that digitalisation must be paired with measures to protect data integrity and system availability. The IMO said cyber work will proceed alongside efforts to harmonise data standards and procedures.
Committee members emphasised that the strategy should be technology-neutral while recognising specific needs for common standards. The intention is to enable smoother cross-border operations and greater automation without mandating particular proprietary solutions.
The timeline set by the Facilitation Committee places the final decision with the Assembly by the end of 2027, which gives the Correspondence Group and IMO committees a defined window to prepare technical material, guidance and an implementation framework. The Committee’s papers indicate a desire for an approach that can be applied across a wide range of maritime actors, from flag States to ports and industry service providers.
If adopted, the global strategy will provide an overarching framework to coordinate the IMO’s existing and future work on digitalisation, standard setting and related cybersecurity measures. The organisation’s approach aims to ensure that digital platforms and data exchanges accelerate port calls and administrative processes while maintaining resilience and interoperability.