Conference in Genoa organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy. In the maritime-port sector, the global market for AI applications is growing at an annual rate between 12% and 15%. The adoption of AI in fleets and ports can reduce consumption and emissions by between 5% and 15%
Genoa – The link between Artificial Intelligence and the maritime economy is now a done deal. Mario Zanetti, Confindustria’s delegate for the maritime economy as well as president of Confitarma and CEO of Costa Crociere, explains from the stage of the meeting “AI meets the sea, Artificial Intelligence applied to the maritime economy” organized in Genoa by the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy: “It is not a topic for the future, it is already a strategic pillar for companies today and represents a concrete opportunity for the development of the maritime economy. We are not just talking about automation or efficiency: AI is a technology that can unleash new, hitherto unexpressed capabilities. And the Blue economy, with its complex and transversal nature, is the perfect context for this transformation”.
The numbers indicate that in the maritime and port sector, the global market for AI applications is growing at an estimated annual rate of between 12% and 15%. “It is not only a matter of competitiveness, but it is also, and above all, a matter of sustainability – continues Zanetti – International studies show, for example, that the adoption of AI in fleets and ports can reduce consumption and emissions by between 5% and 15% simply by optimizing routes and layover times”.
Artificial intelligence is used not only to chart the ship’s course to find the most economical or the shortest one but also to avoid storms. This is also recounted by the president of the Adsp of the Western Ligurian Sea, Matteo Paroli, regarding his journey in 2015, when AI was not yet discussed, but predictive software was, from Civitavecchia to Baltimore. Having reached the midpoint of the journey, to avoid an area where hurricanes were forming, the system proposed two routes to the commander, who chose the one that was two days longer. But the ship arrived without problems, while another cargo ship, which departed from Miami headed to Barbados, took the wrong route, found itself inside the hurricane and never reached its destination; 29 sailors died.
At sea as on land, AI is changing the maritime-port sector. Paroli, in his speech, announced a significant increase in investments dedicated to the digital transformation and security of the ports in the system. “For 2026, in our budget forecast that we will present to the management committee by October 30 – he recalled – we have planned a doubling of the allocations for the Pcs, the Port community system, the platform that manages the information and logistics flows of goods, going from 1.5 million to 3 million euros and we have similarly doubled our efforts for our investments in port security”. Investments in cybersecurity will be 2 million euros, one of the challenges for port systems.
Artificial intelligence on board cruise and cargo ships, in terminals, in ports and also a tool for port sustainability. In Genoa, over thirty watercourses deposit sediments into the basins during heavy rains, reducing the water depth and hindering navigation.
Thanks to predictive models, a study launched by the Adsp will make it possible to identify accumulation areas in advance and intervene promptly, making dredging operations and environmental protection more efficient.
Claudio Bassoli, president and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Italy, among the current and future uses, in addition to routes, container tracking, services on board cruise ships, and accelerated weather forecasting, also mentions the possibility of better understanding what is under the sea and in the sea, to be protected or removed, such as plastics. “In Australia, for example, there is a project that started a few years ago which, by combining artificial intelligence with high-resolution, real-time satellite images, has revealed that they have 1,450 plastic discharge points in the ocean, while they previously believed there were only 60.”
A source of opportunity and growth, Artificial Intelligence must also be handled with care. “Artificial intelligence will replace people at work, but it will not replace them with artificial intelligence, but with other people who know how to use and work with artificial intelligence,” emphasizes Zanetti. Paroli goes further: “We must continue to make our neurons work. Artificial intelligence can respond in a few seconds, but it can also create enormous problems if it is not guided by humans. The future of ports and infrastructure must remain based on verified and responsible human intelligence.”
The conference, opened with video greetings from the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Edoardo Rixi, the President of the Region Marco Bucci, the Deputy Mayor Alessandro Terrile, the President of Confindustria Genova Fabrizio Ferrari, Simone Crolla, delegate councilor of AmCham (American chamber of commerce) Italy, and Luca Franzi, the vice president, was also attended by Giacomo Sevieri, head of catastrophe analytics AonRE.
