The Port System Authority of the Western Sicilian Sea and the company STRADAai have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at introducing the use of drones and advanced air mobility systems in port activities. The agreement, signed by the President of the AdSP Annalisa Tardino and the CEO of the company Giulio Segurini, initiates a three-year path of institutional and technical cooperation focused on the experimentation of UAS technologies and U-space systems, i.e., digital services that allow ‘organizing drone traffic’, as happens for aircraft, but at low altitude. The first fundamental step of the initiative consists of formalizing the request for the establishment of U-space with the competent authorities. With this digital system, drone flows can be regulated and coordinated safely, avoiding interference with normal port operations and optimizing surveillance and logistics of the area. With this technological architecture, the port of Palermo intends to define an efficient operational model that is replicable at national and European level, compliant with current air mobility regulations.
On a practical level, the collaboration provides for the use of devices for a series of specialized activities ranging from environmental and inspection monitoring of docks and ships to support for security and emergency management. The program also attributes particular importance to the human factor, contemplating training and capacity building paths dedicated to local operators and boatmen, with the aim of retraining the professional skills of personnel in conjunction with the digital transition of the port.
The strategic validity of the cooperation is also confirmed at an international level: STRADAai, in synergy with Poliedra Sanità, has in fact been selected for the second phase of the European Step program thanks to the Droneport Sicily project. The initiative, which has the Sicilian Port System Authority at its core, is focused on developing solutions for territorial continuity and medical transport via drones between ports and islands.
The leaders of the two entities expressed satisfaction with the agreement, highlighting how the adoption of digital tools and advanced monitoring represents a concrete resource to increase the resilience and competitiveness of the port in the Mediterranean basin. In the coming months, the operational plan will get underway with the mapping of UAS geographic zones, the holding of technical workshops and the launch of at least one pilot project, also exploiting opportunities for access to European funding dedicated to flight infrastructure.
