Port accessFour projects endorsed by Bilbao PortLab, the innovation hub of the Port of Bilbao, have been approved for funding under the second call for proposals of the Ports 4.0 programme run by Puertos del Estado (Spanish State Ports Authority).
The projects selected for funding through the Ports 4.0 programme are: Odei. IO, a cloud-based construction management software on a collaborative platform for the real-time planning and monitoring of construction projects; Port Q, a project to develop a software tool that combines quantum computing with classical optimisation, capable of integrating the large number of parameters and data involved in the logistics chain and enabling optimal management of empty containers; Smart Pump, providing smart management of the maintenance of pumping systems, based on an IoT platform, capable of collecting operational data and analysing the status of each of the systems in real time, detecting and issuing advance warnings of faults and problems using preventive algorithms; and Autopilot, an intra-entrepreneurship project by a Port Authority staff member, who has presented a Remote and Digitised Pilotage System in response to how best to provide the port pilotage service to autonomous vessels.
Within the second call for proposals of the Ports 4.0 programme, two commercial projects endorsed by the Port of Bilbao and 16 pre-commercial projects enabled by the APB or by companies of the port community have been submitted. A decision on these projects will be made by the end of the year.
Funding through the first call for proposals
The Port of Bilbao is at the forefront of innovation in the port and logistics sector, as shown by the four above-mentioned innovative ideas approved in the second call for proposals. However, these results are further complemented by the proof-of-concept (PoC) trials which have already been conducted in connection with the ideas funded under the first call for proposals of the Ports 4.0 Fund. These include:
Shellock, a smart seal for tracking containers and/or trucks, which may also include temperature, humidity, movement, light or shock sensors. The device comes with associated software to monitor the location and situation of the cargo or container. In this case, two PoC trials were conducted with the companies Progeco and CMA-CGM.
Nuavis: a computer vision system trialled in the Toro y Betolaza warehouses, designed to determine the most suitable places for
positioning cameras to accurately identify the truck and the paper reels so that they can be traced in the warehouse.
Suprashore: presented by Suprasys, laboratory-scale trials have been conducted on a superconductor cable and the analysis under different conditions of the proposed benefits to be derived from the project.
PortPos: a multi-sensor positioning system trialled by CEIT with enabling technology to assist in berthing.
Madeport: submitted by the company Comadera, a platform to digitise the timber supply chain from origin to wholesale warehouse.
The five pre-commercial projects that have obtained funding through the Ports 4.0 call for proposals are also currently starting to be developed.
An innovative ecosystem
In 2021, Bilbao PortLab, the innovation hub promoted by the Port of Bilbao and part of the Bilbao Port and River Foundation, set up an ecosystem of 364 different players and 113 matches, including 18 “triple matches” involving a challenge identified by the port community, a proposed solution to the challenge and funding for taking the subsequent project forward.
Furthermore, the two projects funded through the Galatea call for proposals were also presented. On the one hand, Nuuk, a project to develop a collaborative 360º Platform for Surveillance and Crisis Management that enables the Port Authority and other stakeholders (operators, firefighters, etc.) to visualise and manage events in real time using video, audio and sensor technology in surveillance and emergency situations; and, on the other hand, Zenialabs, to automate inspection of refrigerated containers through artificial vision applied to robotic systems.
