Extended reality, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. European ports are preparing for a major transformation, and they are doing so by upskilling their workforce.
Between late April and early May, port-sector innovation brought Italy and Greece together with the 2021–2027 European Erasmus+ project entitled ‘Empower Next Port Professionals with Innovative Skills through XR Immersive Training Programmes.’
The programme, coordinated by the North Tyrrhenian Port Network Authority and co-funded by the European Union, aims to develop a new generation of managerial and technical professionals for the logistics cluster, capable of coordinating the energy and digital transition in complex operational contexts.
The first mobility phase took place in Livorno. It brought together 21 professionals from the strategic ports of Valencia, Piraeus, Venice and Genoa and the Tuscan hub. The programme focused on two key managerial profiles: Environmental & Energy Transition Directors (in particular, designing policies to monitor port environmental performance) and Planning Area Managers (focusing on the use of cutting-edge technologies such as Terminal Operating Systems, artificial intelligence and digital twins to optimise the management of quays and yards).
The innovation initiative then continued in Piraeus, Greece, where the project’s fourth mobility session took place from 4th to 8th May. 14 port workers from the partner ports took part. This time the spotlight was on quayside operations, looking at two different profiles: Operations Technicians (trained to optimise operational flows between the quay, the yard and the railway) and Equipment Operators (focused on improving safety through the use of new-generation, semi-automated, remotely operated vehicles).
Both sessions involved significant hands-on experience. What made the difference in both cases was the practical approach. Participants tested immersive training solutions through XR/VR (extended and virtual reality) sessions, whilst also developing soft skills like leadership in crisis situations.
Classroom training was complemented with a packed schedule of on-site visits. During the Italian leg of the programme, the participants examined the operations at the Livorno terminals SDT, Porto di Livorno 2000, CILP and TDT, as well as the Inter Repairs Nord hub (Vespucci freight village). In Greece, the training continued at the passenger, RO-RO and cargo terminals managed by the Piraeus Port Authority and at the COSCO Group’s Piraeus Container Terminal.
The results of the exchange programme in Livorno and Piraeus reinforce the path towards a professional European port community equipped to tackle the challenges of decarbonization, digitalization and operational resilience. The next stage of the project is scheduled to take place at the port of Rotterdam in the last week of June 2026.
