A global survey by logistics software vendor Kalé Logistics finds that only 5% of respondents say their port has fully implemented a Port Community System, while 79% report no fully operational PCS. Customs agencies are the top barrier, cited by 50% of respondents, followed by other government agencies at 35%. Digital skills gaps were flagged by 22%, and customs authorities and freight forwarders showed the lowest adoption willingness at 33%. Uptake is especially weak in low-income countries. Kalé's Vineet Malhotra says technology alone cannot resolve fragmentation between organizations and regulatory systems.
According to www.thescxchange.com, only 5% of respondents say their port has fully implemented a Port Community System (PCS), the electronic platform that manages data distribution among the many stakeholders in a port community, according to global research from logistics software vendor Kalé Logistics.
The findings appear in Kalé’s report, “State of Port Digital Readiness & Stakeholder Adoption of Port Community Systems,” which combines surveys of port authorities, shippers, freight forwarders, customs brokers, and government officials. The headline result leaves the vast majority of surveyed ports without a fully operational shared data environment.
Kalé describes a PCS as a tool that connects public and private organizations across a port through a shared digital environment, allowing data to be securely exchanged and reused. In the vendor’s account, that reduces paperwork, congestion, delays, and duplicated processes while improving cargo visibility and coordination.
Customs agencies named as the leading barrier
Respondents pointed to customs agencies as the primary obstacle to PCS adoption, cited by 50% of those surveyed, followed by other government agencies at 35%. The pattern suggests that the slowest links in port digitalization are often public bodies rather than private operators.
The survey also found that 79% of respondents report their port does not have a fully operational PCS, a figure consistent with the 5% full-implementation rate. A further 22% highlighted digital skills gaps as a barrier to adoption.
Willingness to adopt is weakest among the players most central to cargo clearance and trade facilitation. Customs authorities and freight forwarders recorded the lowest adoption willingness at 33%, despite their role in moving goods through ports.
Weak uptake in low-income countries
The research found that uptake remains particularly weak in low-income countries, adding a geographic divide to the adoption gap. Kalé says wider adoption can give port communities the real-time information and coordination needed to manage disruption, improve cargo flows, and build more resilient trade corridors.
The report calls for regulatory reform, improved digital skills, and greater collaboration across port communities. Those recommendations map directly onto the barriers respondents identified: government agencies, skills shortages, and fragmented coordination among organizations.
“Ports are facing greater supply chain disruption, congestion, labour volatility, and compliance demands, but technology alone cannot solve these pressures while information remains fragmented between organisations and regulatory systems.” — Vineet Malhotra, Co-Founder and Director, Kalé
Malhotra framed the next stage of port digitalization as a combined policy, people, and technology effort, with authorities enabling trusted data exchange and ensuring developing markets are not left behind. The survey data behind that view was published on Nov 05, 2026.
Source: thescxchange.com
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
