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VOL. 12, ISSUE 1 (2026)
Digital transformation and legal compliance in Indian mothership terminals: Evaluating the impact of emerging technologies on supply chain efficiency
Authors
Anoop R Nambiar, Dr. Madhu Rani
Abstract
The global shift toward smart ports is reshaping terminal operations
through digitalization, automation, and data-centric governance, with emerging
technologies increasingly linked not only to efficiency gains but also to
regulatory transparency. In India, mothership terminals are strategically
important transshipment hubs under modernization initiatives such as Sagarmala
and the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021, yet technology adoption remains
uneven and legal frameworks have not fully adapted to digital systems. This
study aims to conduct a comprehensive techno-legal evaluation of digital
transformation in Indian mothership terminals by examining the extent of
deployment of AI, IoT, blockchain-enabled documentation, automation, analytics,
and Port Community Systems (PCS), assessing their associations with operational
efficiency indicators (vessel turnaround time, cargo dwell time, throughput,
logistics coordination), and evaluating implications for legal compliance in
customs, environmental monitoring, safety enforcement, and documentation
accuracy. A non-experimental, mixed-method explanatory design integrates
doctrinal legal analysis of statutory and regulatory instruments with
quantitative evaluation of secondary port performance data and documentary
evidence; where feasible, correlation-based assessment is used to identify
observable relationships between digital integration and performance trends.
The analysis indicates that higher digital integration is associated with
improved operational coordination, more predictable scheduling and quay
utilization via AI-based traffic management and berth allocation, reduced cargo
dwell time through PCS-enabled information exchange and electronic
documentation, enhanced traceability via IoT monitoring, and indirect
throughput gains through automation-supported yard planning and productivity.
Digital tools also strengthen compliance through reduced clerical errors,
improved audit traceability, risk-based customs profiling, and real-time
environmental and safety reporting, while revealing governance gaps including
unclear legal recognition of blockchain records, unresolved cybersecurity
liability, limited evidentiary clarity for automated compliance outputs, and
fragmented standards across terminals. The study proposes a techno-legal
optimization model centered on digital infrastructure integration, regulatory
alignment, and institutional coordination, highlighting that sustainable
competitiveness requires embedding digital systems within standardized, legally
recognized compliance architectures and targeted legal reforms addressing
documentation validity, cybersecurity governance, interoperability, and
automated auditing.
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Pages:53-58
How to cite this article:
Anoop R Nambiar, Dr. Madhu Rani "Digital transformation and legal compliance in Indian mothership terminals: Evaluating the impact of emerging technologies on supply chain efficiency". National Journal of Advanced Research, Vol 12, Issue 1, 2026, Pages 53-58
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