Final resolution of the granting of aids

With the publication of the final resolution for the Pre-Commercial modality, we already know the initiatives that will receive the support of the Ports 4.0 fund in its first call. These 33 selected ideas stand out for their innovative potential to transform the port-logistics sector.

Official publication date: January 12, 2024, in the National Grants Database.

Explore the summary dossier of the 2nd Call for Proposals and learn more about the selected proposals. This first edition has demonstrated the talent and creativity of the participants, who have presented innovative solutions to digitize and modernize the logistics-port sector.

Thank you for being part of this drive towards the 4.0 economy!

General ideas

PROJECT 3.08: WATCHPORTS

Automated platform, located in the cloud, for continuous monitoring of the goods handling process in a port environment and obtain, in real time, all the information associated with the process, from the location of all the goods to the incidents that may have occurred, using advanced technologies of artificial vision and machine learning. For this purpose, CCTV cameras will be used, some of them located in the handling machinery itself, embedded with a processing system that will analyze the video in real time and whose result will be sent to the cloud for data homogenization with those coming from the rest of the cameras, following an edge computing architecture.

PROJECT 3.11: RSUP-H2

The RSUP-H2 project aims to develop new technologies for container stackers (Reachstackers), so that they incorporate propulsion systems based on clean hydrogen energy and with autonomous operation capabilities. Among the main objectives of the project are: 1) The robotization of the reachstacker and the automation of the reachstacker using AI and artificial vision. 2) The investigation of new hybrid propulsion systems based on hydrogen fuel cell. 3) Design, implementation and validation of a power pack based on hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. 4) Design of a hybrid network for the electrical management of all machinery systems. 5) Design, development and validation of a first prototype of a reachstacker in a port environment powered by hydrogen and with the capacity to stack containers autonomously without the need for intervention by operators.

PROJECT 3.13: WASTE PORT 0

System to improve the management of material from port dredging through its revaluation as an inert ingredient in the elaboration of artificial soils, specifically designed to solve specific problems in the field of remediation, decontamination and use of degraded soils, for their subsequent commercialization for agricultural, forestry, landscaping, industrial or urban uses, as well as in the recovery of degraded areas, thus obtaining another alternative for managing dredging products that avoids their dumping at sea or their storage in deposits or landfills. The project contemplates the possibility that the dredging products to be reused may be contaminated by organic and/or inorganic elements. In the event that they are classified as contaminated, a decontamination treatment will be carried out prior to their use.

PROJECT 3.15: COMPASS+

On-premise decision platform based on machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence that provides both real-time information and prediction of the operating conditions of a berthed vessel considering the meteorological ocean conditions and the effects of a passing vessel. It predicts the impact on the moored vessel of the movements of other passing vessels in their relationship with the marine environment, providing recommendations for optimal navigation of ships in port, compatible with the safety and operability of the terminals that could be affected by their passage, and enables Port Authorities and Terminal Operators to have both real-time information and a reliable and accurate 48-hour prediction of the operating conditions of the moored vessel and the passing vessel.

PROJECT 3.16: DEVELOPMENT OF AN IN SITU CONTAMINANT DETECTION SYSTEM IN PORT ENVIRONMENTS

Portable equipment for in situ detection of contaminants in port waters in real time based on Raman spectroscopy (detection of quantized vibration energy in atoms and molecules by stimulation with a monochromatic light beam) and SERS (Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering) improved by choosing the most suitable particles to intensify the Raman signals, in combination with a software for reporting the spectral analytical information in a language suitable for immediate reading by any non-specialized operator. Two types of very small size equipment have been designed, one for direct analysis and the other with nanotechnology, using particles of different metals and different functionalizations.

PROJECT 3.18: SILEX

Onboard localized system for ship decarbonization aimed at trapping combustion gases from ship engines, preventing them from entering the environment, polluting the air and acidifying the water, by using filtering materials and a microwave reactor to regenerate these materials. This equipment allows the extraction of pollutant gases (CO2, NOx, SOx) that have trapped filtering materials such as Zeolite X13, regenerating them in constant cycles after saturation. The extracted gases are retained in a closed water circuit, where calcium oxide is added to obtain calcium carbonate. This material has value within the circular economy, as it is not considered a waste, having applications as a restorer of agricultural soils or as a catalyst to obtain green hydrogen.

PROJECT 3.19: CLEVERWIND

Design and development of a vertical axis wind turbine Giromill of Darrieus type and 15 kw of power, height between 10 and 12 m and weight less than 800 kg, foldable in 30 s and automated that, by means of a wind sensor (anemometer) connected to the hoisting systems, when there is wind, both the tower and the blades are deployed and start producing electricity. On the other hand, when the sensor detects that there is not enough wind, the rotor is slowed down, the tower and blade folding systems are activated and the wind turbine folds up and disappears, eliminating its visual impact. In turn, in the event that the sensor detects too much wind, for safety reasons the wind turbine is prevented from remaining exposed to the wind, the rotor is braked and the folding mechanisms are activated.

PROJECT 3.21: CICERO

System, marketed as a service, for the perceptible improvement of port water quality without the addition of chemicals, without exporting the problem outside the port through pumping and at a reasonable cost so that it is business
viable. The system is based on preventing the proliferation of algae and
microorganisms by reducing the presence of nitrates, which is
the main nutrient present in the port water, through the denitrification produced by anaerobic bacteria
.
The system will basically consist of a tank with
bioreactor functions, anchored so as not to interfere with the port operational
, equipped with the necessary conduits to
ensure the proper functioning of the system (pump,
inlet and outlet pipes, gas conduit, ethanol supply conduit
, …).

PROJECT 3.23: SIMU-PORT

SaaS technological tool to optimize
logistic-port operations associated with RO-PAX traffics through the
integration of Artificial Intelligence algorithms with the simulation
of processes.
It is composed of a cloud platform on which to deploy
simulation processes and AI algorithms, a Data Warehouse
a modeling of Ro-Pax operations in each Port, a modeling of Ro-Pax operations in each Port, a modeling of Ro-Pax operations in each
specific port/terminal being analyzed, a predictive component with
AI application for the prediction of Ro-Pax traffic flows, a
simulator component of port-logistic processes
through the application of discrete events, evolved to Digital
Twin and a prescriptive component, offering as output a
set of actions, mainly the allocation of quantity
and time of optimal port resources.

PROJECT 3.26: SUPRASHORE-DEMO

MW range power transmission link for connection
between port and ships based on ultra-compact links, with the
objective of optimizing power distribution costs and
the repowering of power supply systems by taking full advantage of existing infrastructures and facilitating line repowering actions
.
The solution is based on a bifilar superconductor link
specifically designed in direct current, based on MgB2 round
wire and GHe cooling. Each of the
poles is formed by a plurality of MgB2 round wires of 1-1.5
mm diameter wired together with a copper core. Each
of these poles is in turn insulated and both are enclosed within a watertight flexible conduit
through which GHe circulates at pressure and
cryogenic temperature (20-25 K).

PROJECT 3.28: CARBON WAGE GAUGE

Highly accurate portable system for real time measurement of
tides and waves in real environments and can measure
any salt water level. Such a system can be
implemented both in a fixed position and can be moved from
location with ease. The technology used is based on the
variation of the impedance produced between two strands of
carbon fiber as the height of the water between the two strands changes. Taking
into account this principle, a signal conditioner is manufactured that
allows to detect this variation and convert it into an electrical signal
output proportional in a completely linear way to the level of the
water. The values obtained with the sensor will be transmitted both wirelessly
and through wiring for greater synchronism
with other types of measurements, such as the recording of
deformations of a structure as a function of the incident waves.

PROJECT 3.32: SMART COAST AI

Solutions aimed at improving logistics efficiency and port safety and security
from the fusion of
information provided by a new generation of in-situ sensors
(optical cameras, thermal cameras, maritime radars, Lidar, etc.), integrated with information produced by third parties originating from models, satellite data, etc., by applying Artificial Intelligence and making use of advanced devices computing in the periphery.),
integrated with information produced by third parties from
models, satellite data, etc., through the application of
Artificial Intelligence and making use of advanced
peripheral computing devices, 5G communications technologies and
cloud services.

PROJECT 3.32: SMART COAST AI

System for rapid and reliable in-situ detection of
microorganisms, including E.Coli, Enterococcocci and Phytoplankton,
providing the bacterial and phytoplankton concentration of a
sample in less than three hours from sample collection, at
instead of days in the current situation through
laboratory culture techniques. It is a solution for early detection of
biological contamination in environmental and industrial waters to
monitor water quality and prevent and stop outbreaks.

PROJECT 3.38: NEXTPORT DIGITAL TWIN

SaaS integrated platform aimed at integrating different sources of
existing data in a port area (PCS, AIS, PMS or TOS, data
ocean-meteorological…) and which, conveniently treated
through layers of algorithms and artificial intelligence models, and
simulation, provide port stakeholders with analytical capabilities, and
descriptive, predictive and prescriptive advanced, supporting the
taking of data for better and more efficient decisions on
any of the areas over which the various entities of the port community, such as the
Port Authorities or terminal operators, may have competences
.
The product is configured as a modular solution,
with the following elements integrated together:
data platform, digital twin module, data analytics module,
simulation module and optimization tools module.

PROJECT 3.41: MOLA

Modular platform located in the cloud for the management of
logistics-customs operations, aimed at optimizing the
customs processes, based on the technological rules and
procedures established in the Customs Code of the Union
(CAU 2025) and covering the objectives set by the
World Customs Organization (WCO), responding to the
need to modify the entire logistic-customs operation, both
at technological and procedural level) before January 2026
in order to meet the needs of the “European Centralized Clearance
“. European Customs, based on the CAU, completely changes
the structure of information systems for the
electronic exchange of documentation, with a complete change
of messages, technology and procedures.

PROJECT 3.44: CRYSTAL-LUNG

Permeable acoustic barrier with absorption capacity of
air pollutants and, in particular, particulate matter in the air.
suspension of PM10, PM 2.5 and black carbon (PM1) sizes, based on
“sound crystals” technology, aimed at substantially reducing
two environmental problems related to the
development of activities in the port logistics area, the
atmospheric pollution and noise levels.
A very interesting aspect of the acoustic screens based on
sound crystals is the possibility of adapting them to the problem of

noise reduction with strong specific components (e.g. low
frequency), “acoustic screens” can be designed to reduce the nuisance generated in the environment of
implementation without prejudice to its function of filtering
atmospheric pollutants.

PROJECT 3.45: LENDING

Non-intrusive tool for decision support
to manage port loading and
unloading operations, providing objective criteria and predictions linked to
the dynamic conditions
of the berthed vessel. In the operational phase it will provide measurements in
real time on the maritime-meteorological conditions and
stability of the berthed vessel during loading and
unloading maneuvers, as well as an early warning system. In the tactical phase,
will predict the stability of the vessel during loading and
unloading maneuvers and will make recommendations for problematic situations
.

PROJECT 3.46: SUBDRILL JC

Robotized underwater drilling device specifically
oriented to obtain unaltered physical samples of great
quality from the seabed to depths of up to 100 meters and
with a drilling range of 100 meters, as well as the execution
of in situ and piezocone tests in subsea mode. The system
will be equipped with a log of the drilling parameters
(thrust, torque, feed rate, …). It will have application in all
marine fields of action, from port infrastructures
to nearshore and offshore projects in the field of marine renewable energies
.

PROJECT 3.50: AMARRE SOLUTIONS & IoT

Software wizard for proper stowage and lashing of the
goods in land transport vehicles in compliance with the
of the European Directive 47/2014, which establishes since 2018 the
obligation in Europe to comply with a number of standards when it comes to the
of stowage of goods in land transport vehicles
(trucks and semi-trailers) during the distribution cycle,
complemented by the incorporation of sensorization of the
cargo in order to detect and know in real time
incidents during transport such as changes in the position of
loads, untightening of the fastening means or the presence of
people inside the cargo that would call into question the safety of the
lashing. All this information will be recorded in a network
blockchain permissive access for those involved in the
transport chain (drivers, shippers, carriers,
customers, freight forwarders, insurance companies, etc.).

PROJECT 3.52: BETA-BLUE

Wave power generation system or Power Take Off (PTO) for its
integration as a power supply system in maritime beaconing signals
and built-in sensors. This
PTO system consists of the following components:- A power transmission system, energy storage system
by means of supercapacitors, system of
power electronics and control of the system as a whole,
communications and monitoring system and measurement devices
and sensors (weather station, air quality measurement system
and wave measurement sensor).

PROJECT 3.60: TRANSLATE

Platform as a service (PaaS) multi-company and multi-platform
that facilitates economic operators the interconnection and
interoperability of their information systems with the different
electronic exchange platforms of the port system, in a
transparent way and with added value capabilities. It will allow
to manage from a single environment multiple message formats
from different origins and with different destinations. In addition, the
platform will allow the appropriate transformations of
so that, regardless of the format of the message of origin, the
recipient will receive it in the requested format.

PROJECT 3.61: FOIL2SEA

A small vessel with hydro-wing technology and
hydrogen propulsion for various missions (pilots, rescue
maritime, maintenance of off-shore installations) on a common base
, where the cabin can be changed depending on the required mission
, which solves the two major challenges of the
hydro-wing technology in order to extend its operational range
and, therefore, allow its scalability to larger merchant and
ships of greater length.

PROJECT 3.69: NETERH PRO

SaaS platform for logistics solutions and services associated with
Industrial Project Cargo including solutions and services
that allow the different actors involved in each of these processes to
logistics of this type of cargo (shipowners, stevedores, freight forwarders, etc.),
special carriers, manufacturers, specifiers and end customers)
manage end-to-end project cargo logistics,
from the time the customer prepares a request for quotation (RFQ) for
the request for freight transportation prices, receives bids by
from suppliers (shipowners, freight forwarders, carriers, etc.), and
special) and assigns the operation to a freight forwarder through the
order, until the execution of the transport, which involves
port services such as stevedoring or customs, and culminates with the
loading in plant for placement and / or location indicated
by the customer, including certification of critical documentation
of the operation.

PROJECT 3.76: CARTHAGO COATING

Marine antifouling and anticorrosive based on nanotechnology and the
use of graphene, from dispersions of nanotechnology in
different fields of application and, more specifically in resins and
paint bases. This antifouling will not harm the sea bed
as it does not work by exfoliation of the product or release of
biocides that end up deposited on the sea bed. In turn,
will improve the hydrophobicity and, therefore, the energy consumed by the
ships, as well as the maintenance of the maritime facilities
port as the anti-corrosion treatment is part of the product.

PROJECT 3.83: SEAREBBEL MOBILEPILOT

Autopilot for nautical or recreational boats up to 12
meters in length, both newly built and existing in the
current park, consisting of a single component (a steering wheel or
intelligent steering wheel with motor on the shaft) and controlled from
a smartphone, representing a new concept of autopilot
with respect to the current state of the art of autopilots
marine autopilots for recreational use.
The product features are: boat universality,
simple and non-intrusive installation, native control of automatic
guidance from a mobile app and low purchase price.

PROJECT 3.88: MARINEHOUND

Integral system for continuous monitoring of emissions
from ships (Continuous Emission Monitoring System – CEMS) to continuously measure, analyze quickly and
store emissions of sulfur oxides (Marpol VI) to
determine compliance with the limitations established in the
international regulations of all ships accessing
port or emission control areas (ECA’s). To do so, it uses
gas analyzer technology located on a buoy and on a
drone, integrating the data obtained by the sensor in real time
with other position or meteorological data in an IoT platform
located in the cloud

PROJECT 3,100: PANSSARI

Security system integrated by the following four
subsystems for the detection of intruders in real time in the area
logistics-port: Access Control and Geolocation of
authorized individuals with IoT technology through the use
by users of an application on the cell phone, platform
of artificial vision, Array of antennas and platform that receives and
analyzes the data received with Artificial Intelligence and application of
Machine Learning.

PROJECT 3.104: PORTNET

Collaborative and interoperable blockchain platform located in the
(SaaS), integrated into the waste management chain.
generated by ships and their subsequent treatment, which will
connect the value chain between the waste generators and the waste
(ships) and the final treatment plants, where it is not necessary to
not only will process efficiency be improved, but it will also
will encourage circularity through the monetization acquired by
part of the waste through all its transformations and placing
on the market as raw material, which means that the
platform will also become a Marketplace for the
purchase of waste for recovery.

PROJECT 3.110: LIGHTDEEP

Software platform for management and diagnostics that integrates, processes and
structure all the underwater data collected, in an environment that is
port, for a pre-industrial prototype of a non-destructive underwater ROV.
(elimination of the transmission cable) that allows for the
monitoring and inspection of the seabed and the marine environment in time
by means of sensorization systems that can be integrated with
on the ROV itself or anywhere in the harbor or in a port.
boat, using a constant connection to a buoy,
equipped with LIFI/VLC transmission systems, allowing
communication between all nodes of the system (ROV-Boy, ROV
sensors and Buoy-sensors), and a connection between the buoy and the
platform through 5G technology using a ruggedized
device (Tablet, mobile or computer). Also that
such transmission system (VLC/LIFI (Visible Light
Communication)+5G technology) will be used for communication and management of the ROV.