Fragmented by Design? A Systematic Review of Data Governance Failures in Maritime-Port Logistics

Abstract

Background: Digitalisation has increased the volume and strategic importance of data exchanged across heterogeneous organisational and technological environments in maritime-port logistics, yet persistent failures in data governance constrain interoperability, coordination, and effective data use. This study examines which data-governance failures are documented (RQ1), their associated impacts (RQ2), and the governance mechanisms proposed or implemented in response (RQ3). Methods: A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 protocol, searching Scopus and Web of Science and combining AI-assisted title/abstract screening with human adjudication and a false-negative recovery audit. Results: A total of 106 studies published between 2017 and 2026 were included. The synthesis identified nine failure categories, dominated by system fragmentation and information silos, present in 82 studies (77.4%), with markedly higher counts than any other category across every impact dimension examined. Established mechanisms such as CISE coexist with uncoordinated, emerging approaches, including blockchain and Data Mesh, revealing that technology is outpacing governance; generic frameworks such as DAMA-DMBOK are only marginally represented, reflecting a literature gap rather than unsuitability. Conclusions: Organisational and cultural barriers emerged as a comparatively underexplored dimension, indicating that effective maritime data governance requires technical interoperability, institutional coordination, and organisational capacity together, rather than technical solutions alone.