Extended reality, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. European ports are preparing to change their skin and are doing so starting from the skills of their professionals.
Between the end of April and the beginning of May, the axis of maritime innovation united Italy and Greece under the aegis of the European Erasmus+ 2021-2027 project, entitled “Empower Next Port Professionals with Innovative Skills through XR Immersive Training Programs”.
The program, coordinated by the Autorità di Sistema Portuale del Mar Tirreno Settentrionale and co-financed by the European Union, aims to forge a new management and technical class for the logistics cluster, capable of governing the energy and digital transition in complex operational contexts.
The first part of the mobility brought together 21 professionals in Livorno from the strategic ports of Livorno, Valencia, Piraeus, Venice and Genoa. The path focused on two key managerial profiles: that of the environmental & energy transition director (with a careful look at the design of policies for monitoring the environmental performance of ports) and that of the planning area manager (with the emphasis placed on the use of frontier technologies such as Terminal Operating Systems, artificial intelligence and digital twins to optimize the management of quays and yards).
The journey of innovation continued immediately after in Greece, in Piraeus, where from 4 to 8 May the fourth mobility of the project took place. This time the initiative involved 14 professionals from the partner ports, shifting the spotlight to the front line of the quays through two other specialist profiles: that of the Operations Technician (technicians trained to best organize operational flows between quay, yard and railway) and that of the Equipment Operators (operators focused on improving safety through the use of new generation semi-automated and remotely guided vehicles).
Both initiatives included an important field comparison. What made the difference in both cases was the practical approach. Participants tested immersive training solutions through XR/VR (extended and virtual reality) sessions, without forgetting the development of soft skills such as leadership in crisis situations.
The theoretical lessons were accompanied by a packed calendar of field visits. During the Italian stage, the professionals analyzed the processes of the Livorno terminals SDT, Porto di Livorno 2000, CILP and TDT, together with the Inter Repairs Nord hub (Interporto Vespucci). In Hellenic territory, training continued in the passenger, RO-RO and cargo terminals managed by the Piraeus Port Authority and at the Piraeus Container Terminal of the COSCO group.
The results of the mobility in Livorno and Piraeus consolidate the path towards a European professional port community prepared to face the challenges of decarbonization, digitalization and operational resilience. The next stage of the project is scheduled at the port of Rotterdam in the last week of June 2026.
