More than 200 representatives from ports, coastguards, industry, institutions and research organisations gathered at the Centro Congressi Stazione Marittima in Naples, on 29 September 2026, for the ESA’s Space-to-Sea Solutions event, co-organised with the Italian Space Agency. The event explored how space-enabled services can support the maritime sector and the blue economy, bringing together perspectives from across the ecosystem.
Opening the proceedings, Maria Libera Battagliere, Chief of the Task Force Space & Blue, an initiative of the Directorate General of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), said: “We are fostering a closer connection between space and the maritime community—and it’s growing. We are working towards the development of a united space-to-sea ecosystem with technologies, infrastructure and expertise across these domains, and are at a time when these technologies can address the needs of the sector.”
As the programme progressed, the discussion turned to ports as vital hubs where maritime operations, logistics, infrastructure and communities converge. Presentations from key actors across the maritime and ports service value chain covered topics such as smart ports, digitalisation and connectivity, safety, logistics and the sustainable blue economy. Real-world testimonials and high-impact case activities supported by ESA Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) demonstrated the contribution of space technologies to support safer, more efficient, resilient and sustainable maritime and port operations.
The message was clear: ports are ready to embrace innovation, provided that solutions answer concrete operational needs, integrate with existing systems and demonstrate clear value. Above all, progress depends on ports, industry and institutions working together.
Rita Rinaldo, Head of the Applications, Projects and Studies Division at ESA, observed: “There are always new pressing needs and challenges that we have to face and, from a space perspective, we are open to possibilities, new opportunities to collaborate and create strong projects leading to operational solutions that can be adopted by maritime stakeholders at a large scale.”
Building on years of cooperation with ports and the wider maritime community, ESA announced the creation of the Space for Ports Working Group. The new group will provide a structured forum for ports to share needs and priorities, identify common challenges and use cases, strengthen cooperation with the space communities, define initiatives to develop new space-based solutions and help promising applications/services progress from demonstration to operational deployment.
"Cooperation is key to turn innovation into operational impact. The Space for Ports Working Group will be practical and with a strong implementation focus. Ports challenges are across several sectors and require resilient solutions relying on multiple technologies. ESA BASS is a flexible instrument to cooperate with ports and support companies in developing commercially sustainable applications enabled by space among other technologies, that answer to concrete needs in the maritime sector,” said Enrico Spinelli, ESA BASS Applications Engineer.
The launch marks the next step in a long-term dialogue between the port, maritime and space communities. Ports interested in shaping practical use cases and accelerating operational use of solutions enabled by space are invited to contribute.
ESA BASS accelerates the transformation of innovative ideas into market-ready space-enabled services and applications delivering measurable socio-economic impacts. Furthermore, it de-risks technical and commercial challenges and shortens the path from concept to market, contributing to societal priorities such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Europe’s green transition.
Find out more about the ESA BASS work with the maritime sector and opportunities available for your business.