DATE: 29 September 2026
TIME: 09:30 - 17:30 CEST
VENUE: Centro Congressi Stazione Marittima, Naples, Italy
The European Space Agency (ESA) is pleased to announce the Space-to-Sea Solutions event in Naples on 29 September 2026. This free event, co-organised with the Italian Space Agency, will be an opportunity to discuss the vital role that space has to play in both the maritime sector and the blue economy. In the context of a sector facing new challenges, high-level stakeholders, representatives of authorities and economic actors will outline their needs and priorities, driving the development of innovative operational solutions, powered by space technologies.
The event will involve ports authorities, coastguard representatives, industry representatives, institutional authorities, research entities and key maritime stakeholders. The focus will be to discuss maritime challenges related to digitalisation and connectivity, safety, logistics and more. The event will also explore the central role of ports within the maritime ecosystem.
ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS), an element of the ACCESS programme, supports the industrial ecosystem in the development of innovative and commercially sustainable solutions, enabled by space technologies. Numerous sector players and port authorities in Europe and worldwide collaborate with ESA through the Maritime Sustainability Task Force and an ad-hoc Space for Ports working group.
ESA BASS tailored funding opportunities specific to the maritime ecosystem will be presented during the event.
Networking and collaboration
The event will provide networking opportunities for attendees, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange among institutions, regulatory authorities, technology providers, space and non-space industry players, and maritime as well as ports operators. By bringing together a diverse audience of stakeholders, the event aims to spark dialogue and inspire actionable ideas, demonstrating the essential role of space in the maritime sector while also match-making between demand and supply to shape the next generation of solutions.
Who should attend?
This exciting event will interest port authorities, coastguard representatives, service providers, industry representatives, research institutions, investors and other stakeholders from the maritime sector with an interest in developing or using space-driven solutions.
Registration
Please use the link below to register your interest in attending this event. Please note that any business or organisation considering applying for funding with BASS and wishing to attend this event must be based in an ESA Member State. All those registering will be assessed internally and confirmation of places will be sent as soon as possible. Places are limited and admission will be strictly for approved attendees only.
Deadline for registrations: 31 August 2026 or until maximum capacity is reached.
Agenda
09:30 - 10:30 | Registration
- 10:30 - 10:45 | Welcome and Opening Remarks
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European Space Agency (Nick Appleyard, Head of Commercialisation Acceleration Department)
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Italian Space Agency (ASI)
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The Italian Coast Guard Headquarters (ITCG)
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- 10:45 - 11:50 | Navigating Tomorrow: Safety, Security, and Smart Logistics
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Keynote from European Maritime Space Agency (EMSA)
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Keynote from Italian Coast Guard (ITCG)
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Scaling innovation in ports (Giuseppe Luppino, Programme Manager, ALICE)
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The Autonomy horizon (Capt. Marko Rahikainen, Director of Regulatory Affairs, ONE SEA Alliance)
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- 11:50 - 12:20 | Space Funding Opportunities in Support of the Maritime Sector
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ESA ACCESS/BASS (Rita Rinaldo, Head of Applications Projects and Studies Division)
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Space Applications for Port and Maritime (ASI)
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- 12:20 - 12.30 | Westbrook Racing - E1 Series Team
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Ana Agostinho, Sustainability Lead, Westbrook Racing
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Stefan Mühlbauer, Senior Innovation Manager, EOMAP
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12:30 - 14:00 | Networking Lunch
- 14:00 - 14:55 | Smart Ports Ecosystem: Balancing Space, Tech and Needs
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Moderator: Enrico Spinelli, Applications Engineer, ESA
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Mike Dawson, People & Digital Transformation Director, Belfast Harbour
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Giancarlo Ferrara, INO IAM/U-space R&I Programme Manager, Eurocontrol
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Cosimo Cervicato, Manager Energy Saving, R&D and Ship Design, Grimaldi Group
'Space for PORTS Working Group' Announcement
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14:55 - 15:15 | High Impact Activities - Italian BASS testimonials
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Moderator: Donatella Proto, Director General for Enabling Technologies, MIMIT
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5G MASS (Antonio Baldassarra, Head of Sales Specialist, TIM representative, and Paolo Pagano, Director of CNIT Laboratory at Port of Livorno, CNIT)
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I-CRANE (Clemente Fuggini, Senior Asset Development Manager, Rina)
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- 15:15 - 15:50 | High Impact Activities - European BASS Testimonials
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Moderator: Roberta Mugellesi Dow, Business Applications Manager, Telespazio UK for ESA
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IntMap (Remy Ntshaykolo, Co-founder and Director of Data, Greensee)
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Cache Net Zero (Dave Fox, Chairman and Sales Director, Geospatial Insight Ltd and Prof. Alan Wells, Director, Redshift Associates Ltd)
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Rumore (Sarmap)
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MaSSh2 (Ivan Conti, Sales Manager and Agata Jolanta Dakowicz, Head of Marketing, Sternula)
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- 15:50 – 16:20 | Maritime Digitalisation & Connectivity
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Keynote (Sergio Prete, Port Authority Delegate, National Observatory for the Protection of the Sea, ONTM)
Engineering the Maritime Single Window: Lessons Learned and Next Steps (Matteo Prantner, Commander Italian Coast Guard ICT Dep traffic and monitoring systems, and Stefania Coppola, Lieutenant Commander, ITCG)
16:20 – 16:25 | ESA VDES Conference Announcement & Upcoming Funding Opportunities (ESA)
- 16:25 – 16:30 | ESA BASS Ambassador for Italy
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Eleonora Lombardi, Head of Department and ESA Business Applications Ambassador for Italy, Fondazione E. Amaldi
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