Samenvatting

Shipbuilding, a pivotal industry supporting shipping, fishing, wind energy, and defence, confronts global competitive pressures amidst contemporary challenges. Despite its significance, the sector faces ongoing challenges in achieving digital maturity. This study is part of a research that aims to expedite the shipbuilding digital transformation, particularly by identifying current applications of key enabling technologies (KETs) in the shipbuilding activity through a comprehensive literature review. The KETs are first identified, then they are categorized based on two criteria: the main focus of the technology and the specific function in the shipbuilding process. While the analysis reveals an extensive quantity of applications (88), they are rather scattered and do not present a strong trend, predominantly relying on traditional approaches and backing mass production-like processes. It is also shown that the applications of KETS in the shipbuilding industry is still very immature, with only 15% of applications in the deployment phase, while the vast majority remain in the conceptual or development phases. Moreover, this study highlights the interconnected nature of these KETs, that point to the need to support shipyards in setting key priorities and strategies for their implementation. The study concludes by proposing avenues for future research to address these challenges and boost the shipbuilding industry towards its digital transformation.