Over the past three decades, the global economic landscape has experienced a substantial transformation process, which has led to the spread of service economies and the corresponding decline of traditional industry-based businesses. Shipping, like most industries, is undergoing a digital transformation process which influences existing business models and operational practices in multifaceted ways. Today, the module of the shipping business has been changing to incorporate various social demands, environment, innovation and sustainability priorities into fundamental shipping strategies while taking advantage of technological advancements. In the era of the state-of-art industrial revolution, which constituted the evolution of advanced communications and information technologies and promoted sustainable, human-centric and resilient business development strategies, shipping industries need to embrace a broader perspective and a deeper understanding of it.