European digital solutions
Projects that take cooperation between operators in the transport and logistics industry to the digital level are being driven forward by the Circle Group at the European level. For the first time the firm compiled the current range in a series of events at the end of October.
The idea seems obvious – present digital projects digitally. The format that Alexio Picco, managing direc- tor of the Circle Group, a Genoa-based Italian sof ware provider, visualised for the ITJ, however, repre- sents a completely new approach. "What we did for a week in October in our ‘Connecting EU Insights’ was combine events in a mix of elements, including traditional 60–90-minute webinars, single / double interviews and round tables."
The session on 26 October looked at how artificial intelligence can be used in customs corridors, using the Italian port of Ancona and its Smart-C project as an example. The pilot project was launched in April, is supported by the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), and has proved stable. The data concerning goods and vehicles arriving on ferries from European countries are registered digitally with cameras, and transmitted to all operators in the supply chain and the customs authority in the Ancona city centre. The beta phase is due to be completed in April 2021.
On 29 October two projects in the ports of Savona and Genoa were addressed. ‘Vamp up’ has been running since 2017 and is now operational. It steers cargo trains from Vado Ligure digitally through a multimodal platform that links up all players.
Circle also worked on the ‘E-Bridge’ project, to improve digital infrastructure and interoperability in Genoa; at the same time as the Morandi Bridge was being rebuilt. It was re-opened a few months ago.
Artificial and human intelligence
However, any machine is only as good as the human behind it – and a project’s international support, for example at the level of the EU. This ball was taken up in interviews with Carlo Secchi, the coordinator of the Atlantic corridor, and with Kurt Bodewig, the coordinator of the motorways of the seas.
Other hot topics discussed online included the use of hydrogen as a fuel, the Arctic polar route and the possibilities offered by wind propulsion. On 27 October Iswa’s Gavin Allwright and the Smart Green Shipping Alliance’s Diane Gilpin spoke in favour of wind solutions. A presentation of ‘Docks the Future’, a network of excellence of 17 maritime gateways, completed the digital week.
