Which Barriers Drive the Others? Modelling the Interdependencies of Integrated IoT-Blockchain-Big Data Analytics Adoption in Emerging-Economy Maritime Logistics

Abstract

Integrated Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, and Big Data Analytics (BDA) offer substantial potential to improve visibility, trust, coordination, and decision-making in maritime logistics. However, their combined adoption remains constrained by interdependent technological, organisational, and environmental barriers, particularly in emerging economies. This study identifies these barriers, examines their causal relationships, and develops a sequenced implementation framework for integrated digital transformation. A systematic literature review of 32 studies produced 12 barriers, which were subsequently evaluated through Fuzzy-DEMATEL using judgments from 18 maritime experts. The analysis classified seven barriers as causal drivers and five as dependent outcomes. Lack of management commitment and organisational capability emerged as the strongest driver, followed by limited stakeholder participation and weak ecosystem coordination. The dependent barriers comprised interoperability limitations, inadequate connectivity, resistance to change, scalability constraints, and cybersecurity-related risks. These findings indicate that many visible technical difficulties are consequences of deeper governance, capability, and coordination weaknesses. Accordingly, maritime organisations should first strengthen leadership commitment, internal capabilities, stakeholder engagement, and ecosystem collaboration before prioritising downstream technological integration and risk controls. The study contributes a causal, system-oriented understanding of adoption barriers rather than treating them as isolated constraints. It also offers policymakers, port authorities, logistics firms, and technology partners a practical pathway for allocating resources, coordinating implementation, and reducing failure risks when deploying integrated IoT–blockchain–BDA solutions in emerging-economy maritime logistics settings. By distinguishing root causes from resultant obstacles, the framework helps decision-makers sequence interventions more effectively and supports a more resilient, scalable, secure, and coordinated transformation of maritime operations.

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