Ashdod Port Company and Maersk Shipping Company, one of the world’s leaders in integrated logistics, signed a cooperation on innovation in the field of logistics in shipping and ports.
Maersk has set its sights on connecting and streamlining the customer’s supply chains and found Ashdod Port as a natural partner in the matter, which can bring new ideas and creative thinking to the port’s shipping and logistics field. As part of the agreement, Israeli startups that take part in the technological incubator of Ashdod port Blue Ocean for Startups will be able to hold a pilot on Maersk ships, and experiment with the technologies they have developed.
The agreement was signed at the Manifest conference held in Las Vegas, USA, one of the largest logistics conferences in the world. The conference was attended by over 3,000 guests from about 50 different countries, with 1,000 startups and investors, and 250 CEOs from leading companies such as DHL, Schneider and Siemens. The director of the innovation department, Roi Abrahami, represented the Port of Ashdod at the signing ceremony. Erez Agamoni, Senior Vice President of Innovation and Strategic Growth, represented Maersk.
The signing is in addition to a previous innovation agreement signed in 2021 between Maersk and the Center for Transportation and Logistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The agreement allows the company to use MIT teams, known worldwide as engineering and data science experts, to explore new ways to improve logistics and data processes.
The Minister of Transportation and Road Safety, Col. (resp.) MK Miri Regev, said that “our office sees innovation as a powerful engine of growth, and the only way to maintain a competitive advantage in a growing, dynamic and changing field like ours. I am happy that the Ashdod port management is committed for the promotion of innovation within the framework of a dedicated technology incubator, and congratulates the port management on signing a historic and first-of-its-kind agreement in Israel for cooperation in the field of innovation with the world’s leading shipping company Maersk., which will enable pilots and the implementation of innovative technologies in its ships.
Orna Hozman Bachor, Chairman of the Ashdod Port Board of Directors, said: “The Ashdod Port Board of Directors and management continue their efforts to expand Ashdod Port’s collaborations around the world in order to promote new technologies and innovation in the world of shipping. Collaborations of this type are critical to upgrading and streamlining the entire supply chain, the source of the modern global economy. We are excited about the collaboration with Maersk.”
Erez Agamoni, Senior Vice President of Innovation and Strategic Growth, at Maersk, said: “The epidemic emphasized the importance of maritime logistics and the need for integration between it and ground logistics. We want to emphasize this area in order to provide our customers with a more competitive, flexible and easy service. The new partnership with the technological incubator of the Port of Ashdod will allow us to accelerate the integration of new technologies in our business and operational processes.