Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as innovative tools for enhancing management in maritime port operations

Abstract Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have become indispensable for addressing operational challenges in hazardous or inaccessible environments, contributing to resilience and efficiency in the maritime port sector. This study integrates a systematic literature review of 33 academic articles with insights from semi-structured interviews with industry experts to explore UAV applications in port operations. The findings demonstrate strong alignment regarding UAVs' capacity to improve real-time monitoring and data collection for resilience-based management, particularly in infrastructure inspection and environmental sustainability. Crucially, however, the analysis reveals that contrary to narratives of full automation, industry experts view UAVs primarily as decision-support tools that enhance human situational awareness rather than as replacements for operational workflows. Furthermore, significant divergences were identified between theoretical research and implementation realities: while academia often emphasizes technical feasibility, practitioners highlight regulatory frameworks and organizational readiness as the primary barriers to adoption. By bridging these perspectives, this study provides a roadmap for port authorities and policymakers to optimize UAV utilization, emphasizing that value creation depends on integrating UAV data into existing management systems to streamline decision-making and enhance overall port performance.