Digital Advantage: Why the Smartest Terminals Never Stop Optimising
By Hans Bobeldijk
Over the past few months, I’ve had the privilege of sitting down with terminal leaders across the globe. While every location and operation is unique, a recurring question always surfaces: “We’ve started our digital journey—now what?”
My answer is always the same: digitisation is not a one-off project. It’s a continuous process—an ongoing journey of improvement, adaptation, and learning. The most advanced and competitive terminals I’ve seen are not the ones that checked a box and declared “mission accomplished.” They’re the ones that treat optimisation as part of their culture.
Most terminals begin digital transformation with a discrete initiative: digitalising pre-arrival forms, implementing berth planning tools, or introducing a safety checklist app. These are strong first steps. But once those solutions are in place, then what?
That’s the pivot point. In high-performing terminals, that moment marks the shift from project thinking to process thinking. These teams don’t stop once a tool is rolled out. They keep refining. They ask, “How can this work even better tomorrow than it does today?”
Digital maturity isn’t a finish line—it’s a mindset. And it’s this mindset that allows terminals to evolve with the industry.
Many pressures are shaping the liquid bulk terminal landscape: tighter safety standards, rising regulatory demands, and increasing customer expectations for visibility and efficiency.
A system that was “state-of-the-art” five years ago can quickly become obsolete if it can’t integrate, scale, or generate the insights needed to make fast, data-driven decisions.
We’ve seen terminals abandon their in-house digital platforms—not because they lacked talent, but because the long-term cost and complexity of maintaining bespoke systems became unsustainable. Even the most advanced internal IT teams are now acknowledging the limits of building and running software while also managing terminal operations.
Instead, they’re partnering with independent digital platforms that evolve alongside them. This is not about outsourcing ambition. It’s about focusing internal energy on what terminals do best: safe, efficient operations—while relying on expert partners to manage the complexity of scalable, secure, and continuously improving digital infrastructure.
There’s often a burst of activity when a digital system is launched—training, configuration, onboarding. But in truth, that’s only the beginning.
The real value of digitalisation emerges after go-live. That’s when terminals:
Refine processes using real-time feedback
Spot and solve new bottlenecks through data
Scale successful use cases to other operations
Strengthen external collaboration with more predictable workflows
I’ve watched terminals evolve from piloting a digital ISGOTT checklist to implementing integrated berth scheduling, compliance reporting, and predictive analytics. Each step added measurable value—but only because the organization kept pushing forward.
True digital advantage is about culture, not code. It’s about the why, not about the how. Successful transformation depends on aligning people, processes, and data. Not just introducing new tools. My experience is that when it comes to change, the why is more important than the how: if the ‘why’ is clear, the ‘how’ will follow automatically. Terminals are no longer isolated: they are key in a supply chain and their digital maturity directly impacts the performance of global trade in liquid bulk.
The most successful terminals I’ve worked with empower their teams to act on insights. They foster a culture where feedback is expected, iteration is normal, and continuous improvement is part of the job description. This kind of culture builds resilience. Whether the disruption comes from a sudden surge in traffic, a regulatory update, or a cyber threat, these teams adapt—and they do so with confidence.
Finally, it’s important to remember: terminals don’t operate in isolation. They’re connected to agents, surveyors, port authorities, and logistics providers. One terminal’s delay creates a ripple effect across the supply chain. That’s why the most forward-thinking terminals choose digital solutions that enable collaboration—not just automation. Shared data, real-time visibility, and standardised processes are no longer “nice to have.” They’re critical for trust, service quality, and operational control.
At UAB-Online, we work with terminals that understand this reality. They don’t pursue digital transformation as a trend—they commit to digital optimisation as a long-term strategy. Every iteration makes their operation safer, smarter, and stronger. So I’ll leave you with the question I often ask our partners:
Is your terminal’s digital strategy still a one-time project—or is it becoming your long-term competitive advantage?
Hans Bobeldijk is CEO of UAB-Online, a global platform for digitalising port call and ship-shore operations. He regularly advises terminal operators on scalable digital strategies.