Objectives of the service
Ports face increasing pressure to improve efficiency, reduce emissions, and prepare for the transition to alternative fuels. However, most ports still rely on internal systems that provide limited visibility beyond their own operations. They cannot easily compare their performance with competing ports, anticipate future demand for services such as bunkering, or make data-driven decisions on infrastructure investments.
PORTEX addresses these challenges by providing an intelligent platform that combines vessel tracking data, satellite observations, and artificial intelligence to generate operational insights and demand forecasts. The service enables ports to benchmark key performance indicators, identify inefficiencies, forecast future service demand, and support planning for sustainable fuel infrastructure.
The platform will be delivered as a secure cloud-based application accessible through a standard web browser, with optional integration into existing port management systems through application programming interfaces. By transforming large volumes of maritime and satellite data into actionable intelligence, PORTEX helps ports move from reactive decision-making to proactive planning, improving competitiveness, operational efficiency, and long-term sustainability.
Users and their needs
The primary target users of PORTEX are port authorities, terminal operators, port’s service providers, and sustainability teams seeking to improve operational efficiency, competitiveness, and environmental performance. The project will directly involve the Port of Algeciras (Spain) as a Pilot Partner and the Port of Castellón (Spain) as reference user and validation partner. In the longer term, the service will target medium-to-large commercial ports across Europe and other international maritime hubs.
Key User Needs
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Visibility into operational performance compared to competing ports.
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Forecasts of future demand for bunkering and related port services.
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Improved resource planning to reduce delays, congestion, and idle assets.
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Data-driven support for green-fuel infrastructure investments.
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Better monitoring of operational efficiency and emissions performance.
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Easy integration with existing port management systems and workflows.
Key Challenges
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Accurately detecting operational events such as bunkering activities from maritime data.
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Ensuring forecasts are reliable enough to support operational decisions.
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Delivering meaningful benchmarking without requiring access to competitors’ proprietary data.
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Presenting complex analytics in a simple and actionable format for different user groups.
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Supporting diverse operational requirements across different port types and sizes.
The initial focus will be Southern Europe, with future expansion to ports across Europe and other global maritime regions and then globally.
Service/ system concept
PORTEX delivers real-time operational intelligence to ports through a secure web-based platform. Users can access performance benchmarks, demand forecasts, operational alerts, and sustainability indicators through intuitive dashboards and reports. The service enables ports to forecast bunkering demand, monitor congestion, compare operational performance with regional competitors, identify inefficiencies, and support planning for future green-fuel infrastructure.
The system works by collecting vessel movement data from satellite navigation and AIS services, combining it with Earth Observation datasets, and processing the information through cloud-based analytics and machine-learning models. These models detect operational events, calculate performance indicators, and generate demand forecasts.
At a high level, the architecture consists of four layers: (1) Data Sources (satellite navigation, AIS, Earth Observation, weather, and port data), (2) Data Processing, (3) Analytics and Forecasting Engine, and (4) User Delivery through a web application and optional APIs. This architecture transforms large volumes of maritime and satellite data into actionable insights that support faster, more informed, and data-driven decision-making for port operators.
Space Added Value
PORTEX combines three key space assets: Galileo-enabled satellite navigation (GNSS), Satellite AIS, and Copernicus Earth Observation services. GNSS provides accurate vessel positioning and movement tracking, Satellite AIS delivers continuous visibility of vessel traffic beyond the range of terrestrial receivers, and Copernicus datasets provide environmental information such as sea state, wind, waves, and satellite imagery.
The combination of these space assets creates a unique intelligence layer that cannot be achieved using conventional port management systems or competing solutions. Existing tools typically rely on terrestrial AIS, local operational data, or manual reporting, which limits visibility to activities occurring within or near the port. In contrast, PORTEX can monitor vessel behaviour across entire maritime regions, detect operational patterns, forecast demand, and benchmark performance using consistent and independent data sources.
This space-enabled approach allows ports to anticipate demand, compare operational efficiency with competing ports, and support planning for future green-fuel infrastructure without requiring access to proprietary competitor data. The result is greater operational awareness, improved forecasting accuracy, and more informed strategic decision-making than is possible with current market solutions.
Current Status
PORTEX is currently in the early feasibility and concept validation phase. Multiple engagement meetings and technical discussions have been conducted with pilot partners to better understand operational workflows, activities, benchmarking needs, and key performance indicators. These interactions have enabled the project team to define the initial service concept and validate the relevance of the proposed solution.
Approximately 60% of the customer and user engagement activities have been completed. Based on the feedback received, the team has been refining the service requirements and identifying the most valuable use cases for future deployment.
On the technical side, work is underway to develop and improve algorithms for event detection and other port-related events from vessel movement data. Several event-detection approaches have been tested and are currently being refined to improve accuracy and reliability.
The next phase will focus on finalising service requirements, validating the technical architecture, and demonstrating the first proof-of-concept analytics to partner ports.
