• MISSION proposes the development of digital solutions that will contribute to the optimisation of port operations, reducing ship waiting times and fuel consumption

• The initiative has a budget of nearly 10 million euros, co-funded by CINEA’s Horizon Europe programme

Valencia, January 30th 2024. – Fundación Valenciaport has begun work on the MISSION project, Maritime Just in Time Optimization Interoperable Port Call and Voyage Optimization Tool Project, for the optimization of port logistics processes.

The initiative, coordinated by Syddansk Universitet (University of Southern Denmark), has a budget of around 10 million euros, co-financed by the Horizon Europe programme of CINEA, and will last approximately 42 months, ending in June 2027.

The main objective of MISSION is to develop new digital solutions aimed at optimising the maritime journey and the port call as a key link in the maritime-port chain. These solutions will enable information sharing and synchronisation of vessel entry and departure times, thus improving the planning and execution of logistic operations, such as loading and unloading of goods, and reducing fuel consumption during the approach, stay and departure of vessels from the port.

The MISSION project will contribute to increase the transparency of the operational processes associated with port calls, thus increasing situational awareness among shipping lines, terminal operators, port authorities, and other stakeholders, reducing avoidable anchorage times and increasing the level of service to ships.

The digital automation of these processes, which are currently developed using non-standardised processes, will also serve to improve the interoperability of the platforms that manage information associated with port calls, thus enabling better and more agile decision-making based on the real evolution of maritime calls.

Finally, the initiative will increase the understanding and development of models that will improve the reliability of predictions on arrivals, port operations and ship departures, using emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics, among others.

Fundación Valenciaport will focus on the development of a standard methodology to measure the costs and benefits of the implementation of the project solutions from a financial and socio-economic point of view. In addition, it will analyse the incentive systems of shared costs and benefits derived from the implementation of these solutions and will evaluate compliance with the regulations relating to the application of the Just inTime (JIT) concept in port maritime supply chains, among other actions.

The MISSION consortium

In addition to the University of Southern Denmark and Fundación Valenciaport, the project consortium is made up of 25 other partners, including relevant companies and entities from the Valenciaport cluster, such as COSCO Shipping Lines, the Ership Group, the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) and the international association Terminal Industry Committee (TIC4.0), whose general secretariat is held by Fundación Valenciaport.