The round table on "Trends in Digitalization and New Technologies in the Port Logistics Sector," held within the framework of the Port Congress of Ports of the State, gathered prominent representatives from the industry under the moderation of Iván Jiménez Aira, president of the Port Authority of Bilbao. In the debate, Lidia Muñoz Pérez, director of Ports and Airports at Indra; Elena García Aguirre, director of the Consulting and Development Area at Brain&Code; Francisco Toledo Lobo, director of the Intelligent Ports Chair at Jaume I University; and Óscar Pernía Fernández, co-founder and CTO of NextPort.ai, participated.
Óscar Pernía addressed the practical impact of artificial intelligence on port operations, an area still in its early stages but with concrete progress in different terminals where NextPort is developing pilot projects, such as those in Malta or San Antonio (Chile). These terminals already operate in production with Digital Twin technology and advanced data analytics, generating measurable efficiencies both in the use of machinery and in the performance of personnel in decision-making and exception management. These implementations and the adoption of technology have demonstrated a significant potential impact on efficiency and the release of additional capacity, providing direct values to the business measured by clients themselves and validating their integration with existing systems, such as the TOS or the IoT sensorization layer in machinery.
In just six months of adoption, the technology has demonstrated its potential to "evolve the way port operations are managed with a focus on increasing the cognitive capabilities of users and based on existing systems." This advancement has allowed scaling deployment agreements for four terminals currently and another four planned throughout 2026. The ongoing deployments include terminals in the ports of Algeciras and Los Angeles (USA).
In the public sphere, and following repeated references to the subject during the congress—especially in the round table on the geo-strategic context moderated by Gerardo Landaluce—the underlying technology of the EU-ETS Observatory was presented. This initiative, led by Ports of the State along with several port authorities, including those of Algeciras, Barcelona, Las Palmas, and Valencia, applies advanced analytics to model fleets, routes, and port calls, with the aim of understanding how the new regulatory framework affects call volumes, traffic deviations, and port competitiveness.
The Observatory already incorporates a data platform, advanced analytics, and configurable algorithms that allow for representing the real impact of the new EU-ETS measures on the competitiveness of the ports of the Spanish Port System. Looking to the future, artificial intelligence will enable the development of predictive capabilities within this framework.
The capabilities of the technology, developed entirely in Spain by NextPort alongside Shipping Business Partners, allow for evaluating the effectiveness of the EU-ETS regulatory framework, as well as its analytical adjustment and configuration. Furthermore, by using the same database and technology, the project also promotes market intelligence solutions already tested with the Port Authority of Huelva through the Ports 4.0 fund. These tools provide ports with strategic anticipation capabilities to face both the challenges and opportunities linked to the decarbonization of the sector and those derived from the broader geopolitical context. Maritime routes are already being reconfigured in response to geopolitical factors, and this trend will continue with the opening of new routes, including proposals through the Arctic Circle, an aspect also highlighted by UNCTAD during the congress.
The ability to devise commercial strategies based on the analysis of maritime transport network behavior and the resulting fluctuations in capacity demand, with frequently updated data rather than static annual analyses, is key for port authorities to understand the competitive context in which they operate.
The debate also revolved around the future of artificial intelligence and the expected capabilities in the coming years. In the realm of container terminals, Óscar Pernía referred to the round table on the future of port terminals and the role of automation, where Guillermo Belcastro Rodríguez (CEO of Hutchison Ports BEST) and Julián Fernández Rodríguez (Managing Director of APMT Spanish Gateways) discussed how AI is being applied to provide greater flexibility to operations. Both emphasized its usefulness for real-time decision-making and predictive planning, relying on the experience and knowledge of existing personnel.
This approach complements automation and allows for improvements not only in efficiency and decarbonization but also in areas such as safety and prevention. Additionally, it enhances staff performance through methodologies like LEAN, aimed at continuous improvement.
Óscar Pernía noted the alignment of NextPort's strategy with what was discussed in the terminal panel. Regarding its deployments in ports, particularly in Spain, he indicated that data standardization and interoperability between platforms are essential to generate a tangible impact from digital twins. These elements are critical to fully leverage the potential of the technology, which begins with a precise representation of port operations: ship calls, cargo traceability, machinery movements, and the state of infrastructures.
"Today, only the complex and costly combination of multiple data sources allows data to represent reality," Pernía stated.
The multidimensional capabilities of AI are exponential, but they require both data and processes to be prepared. In the near future, it will be possible to connect meteorological and oceanographic information with operational data, machinery, and port infrastructure that has been sensorized, thus increasing the possibilities for continuous improvement that allows for "exploiting what exists, to do more with the infrastructure and with the resources we have."
Along these lines, reference was also made to the round table dedicated to technical-nautical services, such as pilotage or towing. In these cases, the representation of processes related to resource allocation, coordination to attend to the ship's call, and the execution of auxiliary services such as bunkering requires schemes that favor the modernization and digitalization of these processes. An analytical foundation needs to be established for resource allocation and operational planning. In this direction, Óscar Pernía emphasized that the regulatory and compliance frameworks (Port Compliance) established by the IMO (International Maritime Organization) regarding operational safety, decarbonization, and climate change represent an opportunity for the integral digitalization of operations, as "the availability of data and interconnection between systems, such as in the ship-port interface, will be an indispensable requirement for those regulatory frameworks to be effective."
Finally, Óscar Pernía pointed out that, although AI in ports is still in its early stages, it is progressing rapidly and its impact will be exponential. He stressed the responsibility to enable, but also to moderate, the way in which artificial intelligence is developed, generating an impact that translates into improvements in efficiency, sustainability, resilience, and safety of operations. Pernía also emphasized the need to focus on transforming the workplace through "the amplification of our cognitive abilities to make decisions, establishing a symbiosis between the capacity for processing, analysis, and anticipation by AI with the capacity for adaptation, improvisation, and experience of humans." This way, attraction and retention of new talent in ports is fostered, which, he noted, goes through "the transformation of the workplace." "Digitalization is not just about acquiring more technology, but about transforming the way we work," he concluded.