Blockchain Implementation Barriers in Maritime: A Case Study based on ISM and MICMAC Techniques

This article considers blockchain implementation and adoption in maritime sector, including its benefits and challenges. In addition to a review of existing literature sources in this domain, through a case study the impediments of deploying blockchain in a developing maritime environment are examined. The analysis are based on the Interpretative Structural Modeling (ISM) and Cross-Impact Matrix Multiplication Applied Classification (MICMAC) methods. In this context, it is to be pointed out that the constraints in blockchain mainstream adoption in maritime are explored in several comprehensive academic papers so far. The same applies for ISM and MICMAC approaches. Therefore, in the focus of this work is a case study conducted among the specialists in maritime industry, business and higher education in South Africa as an emerging maritime ecosystem. The subjectivity inherent to the applied methodology is highlighted, since different specialist can differently evaluate pairwise relationships among the considered constraints.