Market and systems growth

According to Hong Kong-based PW Consulting, in 2025 the worldwide container terminal operating system market “stood at US$798.2 million.”

In its Worldwide Container Terminal Operating System Market 2026 report, available from June 2026, the company adds that growth of 5.85% per annum between 2025 and 2032 will see the TOS market reaching US$1.19bn by the end of this forecast period, while offering the following summary of market trends:

“The growth path reflects a mix of operational complexity and the continued push to improve terminal efficiency as trade volumes and fleet activity expand. As terminals process more moves year after year, demand rises for systems that can coordinate planning, yard operations, and scheduling with tighter turnaround expectations…. In practical terms, operators keep investing in upgraded operating systems because the cost of delays and inefficient workflows grows as volumes increase, and the economics favour incremental improvements that compound across the full operating cycle,” PW Consulting confirmed in releasing its new assessment report.

At TOC Europe in 2026, Subbu Bhat, Interim President and Head of Engineering at Tideworks Technology, said that AI interest in this area was “running well ahead of the foundations needed to support it — 43% of terminals overall were prioritising AI investment, and among large terminals handling over a million TEU that rose to 64%.” A clear indication that digital technology remains at the core of TOS activity.

Operational intelligence

Carlos López Barberá, VP & Executive GM, Marine Solutions, Kaleris, provides a good summary in terms of TOS innovation and advanced optimisation from the viewpoint of Navis products, notably the N4 system:

“As terminals look for new ways to increase throughput without expanding their physical footprint, the conversation is increasingly focused on operational intelligence. With Kaleris Advanced Optimisation, we are helping terminals with N4 make smarter decisions in real time by continuously aligning resources, equipment, and workload across the operation. The benefit is not just greater productivity, but a more agile terminal that can respond to changing conditions while maximizing the capacity it already has.”

PW Consulting adds that there is an ongoing transition towards smart port ecosystems driving POS activity too. “The transition toward smart port ecosystems, powered by Artificial Intelligence for real-time yard optimisation, became a primary driver for container terminal operating systems in 2025. As maritime trade volumes rose, operators needed more sophisticated software to handle complex berth and crane scheduling, where faster decisions directly affected throughput and dwell times. Regulatory pressure also tightened the business case. From 2023, International Maritime Organisation Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) rules started to take effect and will tighten through 2030, pushing ports to cut energy use and idle time; that requirement increases demand for TOS capabilities that could support more efficient operational patterns.”

Giving the greatest value

López Barberá goes further and states that there are notable requirements within a TOS that can focus on specific needs at the terminal. A good example is RTG Optimisation, which is a module within the Navis. Advanced Optimisation suite. He explains why this area of focus is important to port terminals:

“Equipment efficiency has become a key competitive differentiator for terminals, particularly as operators balance performance targets with sustainability initiatives. Kaleris RTG Optimization gives terminals a more dynamic way to manage crane operations, ensuring that equipment is deployed where it delivers the greatest value at any given moment. By reducing unnecessary travel and improving utilisation, terminals can accelerate cargo flow, lower operating costs, and make measurable progress toward emissions-reduction goals.”

However, López Barberá also highlights that one of the biggest challenges facing terminal operators today is that cargo volumes continue to grow while yard capacity, workforce availability, and operational complexity are all moving in the opposite direction. To support this challenge, the company launched Yard Intelligence Suite, another module within Advanced Optimisation at TOC Europe 2026, as he explains:

“Many terminals are not fully realising the value already available within their existing systems. Kaleris Yard Intelligence Suite was developed to address that reality by bringing outcome-based optimisation and AI-augmented decision support into the yard planning process. Rather than simply reacting to congestion, operators can proactively identify imbalances, evaluate alternatives, and make more informed decisions that improve predictability, increase throughput, and unlock additional capacity from the infrastructure they already have.”

Speaking at the TECH TOC theatre panel “The other side of AI: Navigating opportunities, risks and reality” at TOC Europe 2026, Bhat offered an interesting conclusion from the perspective of TOS and technology: “I think this industry has real hunger for more data, for a more data-driven approach to make decisions…. but we must get incrementally better. Otherwise, you end up doing things that may not be the right things to do.”