Ports around the world face numerous challenges, from managing increased cargo demand to ensuring efficiency and sustainability in the face of urbanisation and labour management issues. The ITEA project I²PANEMA, comprising 17 partners from Germany, Spain and Türkiye, has integrated IoT solutions and new services for data handling in ports to enhance efficiency, sustainability and supply chain resilience in various port business cases. With a focus on data management and analysis, the project has achieved remarkable outcomes, including noise reduction, container localisation and logbook digitalisation. By leveraging IoT, I²PANEMA is revolutionising port operations. Today, I²PANEMA is announced as the winner of the ITEA Award 2023 for Exceptional Excellence, outstanding in the three categories of innovation, business impact and standardisation.
Improving business and lives in port cities
I²PANEMA has demonstrated that ferry arrival times in Hamburg can be accurately predicted to within 15 seconds, which has resulted in a 100% reduction in average processing time for stop announcements. In the Assan port in Türkiye, sensor-based container localisation has enhanced operations by over 10% in a single shift, with completion time reduced by more than 15% and accidents decreased by more than 50%, boosting both profitability and safety. Accurate prediction of PM10 emissions in Gijón Port has been demonstrated with 100% reduction in average processing time for environmental alerts and emergency protocol activation.
An added benefit of this operational and commercial success is the reduction in pollution and noise, making port cities even more pleasant to live in.
“In the I²PANEMA project, we integrated many functions into our new-era I-VPORT TOS solution that will contribute to the port processes. This is due to the instant detection of the locations of the cargoes (containers and/or vehicles) in the port with 50cm precision. It has not only increased efficiency in the port but has also brought us new customers.”
Standardising and enhancing port operations
In developing an IoT port reference architecture tailored for operational use in ports, the I²PANEMA project enhances the robustness of transport chains and establishes a strong communication infrastructure for IoT applications. Account was also taken on data security and the integration of heterogeneous IT systems since these are critical factors for the success of smart ports. The communication infrastructure provided by I²PANEMA is instrumental in helping ports more easily adopt and utilise IoT applications, thereby enhancing efficiency, sustainability and overall operations.
The project partners are currently finalising the new ISO standard 4891: Smart Applications for Ships. Once approved, the new standard will provide a common framework and guidelines for the development and integration of smart applications, enabling efficient communication and data exchange between different systems. By adopting a customer-centric approach, ISO 4891 is designed to meet the needs of users and promote digital transformation in the maritime industry.
