Digitalization in developing maritime business environments towards ensuring sustainability

The paper focuses on assessing the level of digitalization in several developing maritime business environments in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia. The assessment has been done in reference to Holtham’s and Courtney’s Intelligent Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Exploiter Model. The dimensions as maritime business system effectiveness, roles, and skills of information technology personnel, ladders of knowledge, ICT strategy, organizational culture, and manager’s mindset are analyzed. In addition, benchmarking with findings from developed maritime business environments in Croatia, Greece, Italy, and Slovenia, which belong to the European Union (EU), by using the same model, has been conducted. This is done with the aim to outline directions for improving the quality and speed of digitalization in non-EU countries, which have been functioning for decades in transitional conditions. The maritime ecosystem naturally has a tendency to be unique and to function smoothly as such. Alleviating the differences in the level and effectiveness of digitalization in developed and developing European countries is a path towards achieving this goal. By sharing their own expertise in the rational and intelligent use of ICT, developed EU countries can support developing non-EU countries towards ensuring sustainability in the entire European and worldwide maritime business ecosystem.