New PolicyWISE report calls for clear standards to safeguard national security and mitigate potential long-term consequences. 

With around 95% of the UK’s goods being transported by sea, ports play a pivotal role in national trade and economic performance.  

PolicyWISE’s new briefing looks at how digital tech, automation, and AI are reshaping ports across the UK and Ireland and calls for clear standards and protocols to safeguard national security and mitigate potential long-term consequences.  

While customs, security, and trade policy is reserved to UK Government, ports policy is devolved, and ownership structures vary widely. Despite the importance of ports to supply chains and national security, government strategies only make limited reference to emerging digital systems. As a result, opportunities for shared learning and coordinated action are being missed. 

Scotland has undertaken the most comprehensive national assessment, while Wales and Northern Ireland rely on dispersed strategies, and England’s developments remain industry-led in the absence of a dedicated Smart Ports policy. The Republic of Ireland has modernisation efforts underway, but its core ports policy predates the emergence of smart technologies. 

The briefing recommends that we need clearer national roles, stronger cross-nation collaboration, and explicit integration of Smart Ports into policy planning. Consistent cybersecurity standards and support for sector-wide skills development will also be critical to ensuring ports across the UK and Ireland remain secure, competitive, and future-ready.