Industry 4.0: blockchain and its Application Possibilities in Maritime trade

The objective of the current research is to provide an overview of how blockchain can contribute to maritime logistics operations through an analysis of initiatives already carried out in the sector. This is an exploratory, initially bibliographic research conducted by searching the databases of the online journal platforms Scielo, Google Scholar, and CAPES Journals Portal. In view of the novelty of the topic, there was a need to conduct research on different academic databases, such as business forums and search engines. Prospective monitoring of the application of the technology in maritime logistics was therefore carried out. The results point to the use of blockchain were: 1. in bill of lading management (freight knowledge); 2. in a joint venture between Maersk and IBM in the development of the “Tradelens” platform, to facilitate documentation involving the cargo to be transported; and 3. in the consortium formed by AB InBev, Accenture, APL, Kuehne+Nagel, and the European Customs Organization for Blockchain-based solutions.