The Invisible Infrastructure of the Blue Economy

/in , , , , , ,
Written by Lidia Slawinska

Written by Lidia Slawinska, Communications Manager – Escola Europea Intermodal Transport

When we think about ports, the images that come to mind are often physical ones: cranes moving containers across terminals, vessels docking along quays, trucks and trains carrying cargo inland. For centuries, maritime logistics has been defined by these visible infrastructures—steel, concrete, and water routes connecting continents.

Yet today, much of the real infrastructure that makes global maritime trade possible is no longer visible.

Behind the movement of ships and cargo lies a rapidly expanding layer of digital systems, shared data platforms, and collaborative networks. These systems do not move containers directly, but they increasingly determine how efficiently, safely, and sustainably those containers move through the global supply chain. In other words, the digital blue economy is building a new kind of maritime infrastructure – one that exists largely in the background, but increasingly shapes the way ports function.

Ports as Information Hubs

Modern ports generate enormous volumes of data. Vessel arrival times, cargo documentation, terminal operations, customs procedures, and hinterland transport movements all create information that must be coordinated among multiple stakeholders.

To manage this complexity, many ports have developed Port Community Systems (PCS) – digital platforms that allow port authorities, shipping companies, freight forwarders, customs agencies, and logistics operators to exchange information in real time. According to the World Bank, these systems act as collaborative digital environments that streamline communication and coordination between the many actors operating within a port ecosystem.

The impact can be significant. By centralising and standardising information flows, PCS platforms reduce paperwork, accelerate decision-making, and improve visibility across the supply chain. They transform ports from places where information is fragmented into integrated digital hubs.

In many ways, this invisible infrastructure is becoming just as important as the physical one.

From Terminals to Digital Ecosystems

The digitalisation of ports is part of a broader transformation taking place across maritime logistics. Researchers increasingly describe this process as a systemic shift in the way port logistics are designed and coordinated, driven by data integration and digital technologies embedded across supply chain operations.

Leading ports around the world – from Singapore and Rotterdam to Los Angeles – are now developing what are often referred to as “smart port ecosystems.” These combine automation, artificial intelligence, data integration, and digital platforms to improve operational efficiency and resilience.

But the most important change is not technological alone. It lies in how these systems enable collaboration.

Ports are complex environments involving public authorities, shipping lines, terminal operators, logistics companies, and transport providers. Digital platforms allow these actors to share operational data, coordinate schedules, and anticipate disruptions in ways that were difficult to achieve just a decade ago.

In this sense, the digital blue economy is not simply about installing new technologies—it is about creating shared information environments that support collective decision-making across the maritime ecosystem.

A Growing Sector

The importance of these developments becomes clearer when viewed within the broader context of the blue economy.

According to the European Commission’s EU Blue Economy Report, maritime sectors – from transport and shipbuilding to renewable energy and coastal tourism – represent a significant economic ecosystem within Europe. Established blue economy sectors alone employed around 3.6 million people across the EU in recent years, highlighting the scale and economic relevance of these activities.

Within this landscape, ports play a central role as gateways between maritime and land-based logistics systems. As digitalisation advances, their ability to manage data, coordinate stakeholders, and integrate technologies will increasingly determine how competitive and resilient maritime trade networks become.

In other words, the digital layer supporting port operations is no longer optional – it is becoming foundational.

The Human Element Behind the Digital Port

Despite the technological emphasis often associated with smart ports, digital transformation is not simply about installing platforms or adopting new tools.

Successful digital ecosystems depend on people who understand how to use data, interpret complex systems, and collaborate across institutional boundaries. Governance structures, shared standards, and trust between stakeholders remain essential elements of any digital infrastructure.

Technology can connect systems, but it is collaboration that allows them to function effectively.

This is perhaps one of the most important lessons emerging from the digital blue economy: innovation in maritime logistics does not happen in isolation. It happens when ports, companies, and institutions work together to build shared environments where information can move as freely as cargo.

Seeing the Unseen

The cranes and vessels will always remain the most visible symbols of maritime trade. But increasingly, the efficiency of ports depends on something less tangible: the invisible architecture of data, platforms, and collaboration networks operating behind the scenes.

As maritime logistics continues to evolve, the challenge will not only be to invest in physical infrastructure, but also to strengthen these digital foundations.

Because in the ports of the future, the most important infrastructure may be the one we cannot see.

Sources

Don’t just take our word for it – explore the sources shaping this conversation:

Editorial note
This article was developed with the assistance of AI-based writing tools and verified against the sources listed above.

Areté: A Place to Celebrate Twenty Years of Port Cooperation

/in , ,

Cities also speak through their spaces. Sometimes they do so by carrying the name of a person who left a mark. Other times, they speak through a word – one that captures an idea.

Barcelona has just chosen one of those words.

Eduard Rodés - Director of the Escola Europea Intermodal Transport

Written by: Eduard Rodés, director of the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport

On 13 January 2026, the Barcelona City Council’s Nomenclature Commission approved, at the proposal of the Port Authority of Barcelona, the name “Jardins de l’Areté” for the space located in front of the headquarters of the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport, on the Moll de Barcelona in Port Vell.

At first glance, this might seem like a small decision in the life of a city. But for those of us at the Escola, it carries a special meaning. The name recognises the deep connection between the educational project of the institution and the concept of areté – a word from Greek philosophy that expresses the idea of virtue understood as the ability of individuals to contribute positively to society.

For the ancient Greeks, the virtuous person was not the richest or the most powerful, but the one who contributed most effectively to improving society. It is no coincidence that this recognition comes in the very year that the Escola celebrates its 20th anniversary.

A Word that Connects the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean is a sea of port cities that have shared trade, culture, and knowledge for centuries. It was within this common space that the idea of the Escola first emerged: to create a meeting point between the academic world and the professional community of transport and logistics.

For this reason, it is especially meaningful that the name Areté is beginning to appear in several Mediterranean ports. Not simply as a symbolic coincidence, but as something more straightforward – and more valuable: a shared commitment by the Escola’s partner ports to join in celebrating its twentieth anniversary, through a gesture that reflects what the Escola has always been – a collective project built on shared values.

A few months ago, the Port Authority of Civitavecchia approved the designation “Piazzetta dell’Areté” for the garden space located in front of the classroom where the GLIPS course is held – a programme developed by the Escola together with the Fondazione Caboto and the Port Authority of Civitavecchia, just behind its headquarters.

In Palermo, meanwhile, the Port Authority is finalising the installation of a pedestal that will support another sculpture dedicated to Areté, symbolically oriented toward Genoa.

Three ports. Three spaces. One word that expresses a shared intention.

A Journey to Celebrate Twenty Years

The inauguration of these spaces will take place this autumn as part of a programme that reflects the very spirit of how the Escola works.

On 14 October, the Jardins de l’Areté will be inaugurated in Barcelona alongside a sculpture created by artist José Luis Pascual that will preside over the space. Two days later, on 16 October, a corresponding ceremony will take place in Civitavecchia, followed by the inauguration in Palermo on 17 October. The programme will culminate on 19 October with the anniversary celebration of the Escola in Genoa.

These events will form part of the Escola’s teacher training programme, which will bring together educators – many of them closely connected to port and logistics communities from different countries.

As is tradition in our programmes, the course will take place on board vessels operated by the Escola’s partner shipping companies, with the collaboration of the ports that form part of its shareholder network. Learning while sailing, visiting ports, speaking with professionals, and sharing experiences remains – twenty years later – one of the most effective ways to teach logistics and transport, and in this special course, also new educational models.

A Place for Memory – and for the Future

The Jardins de l’Areté, located in the heart of Port Vell, will not be a monumental space, nor do they aim to be. They will simply be a place to pause.

A place to remember that behind every collective project there are values, people, and a shared story.

In some way, they will also serve as a tribute to the Barcelona port community, which from the very beginning has supported the development of the Escola and has understood that shared knowledge is a strategic investment in the future of the sector.

Cities change, ports evolve, and logistics chains transform.

But something endures.

The conviction that progress – whether in ports, their cities, or the societies they serve – always arises from the combination of knowledge, collective effort, and trust between people.

That, precisely, is what the Greeks called areté.

Escola Europea and Puertos del Estado Unite to Boost Port Skills and Innovation

/in , , ,

Puertos del Estado and the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport held a high-level working meeting today at the headquarters of Puertos del Estado in Madrid. The meeting brought together Gustavo Santana, President of Puertos del Estado, and members of his executive team, alongside Eduard Rodés, Director of the Escola Europea.

Gustavo Santana, President of Puertos del Estado, and Eduard Rodés, Director of the Escola Europea, during their meeting at the headquarters of Puertos del Estado in Madrid.

The session focused on reinforcing institutional collaboration and advancing joint initiatives aimed at strengthening professional training, intermodal transport expertise, and innovation within the Spanish port system.

A central topic of discussion was the Open Trade Med project, an initiative designed to enhance capacity-building in international trade and port management across the Mediterranean region. The project is supported by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the Union for the Mediterranean. As part of the collaboration, Puertos del Estado will contribute directly to the training delivered to personnel from participating Port Authorities under a formal cooperation framework to be signed in the coming months.

Both institutions also agreed to renew institutional support for the Escola’s long-standing maritime and rail intermodal transport courses, reinforcing their promotion throughout the Spanish port system and encouraging broader participation from port professionals.

In line with ongoing digital transformation processes in the sector, the meeting also explored the potential expansion of the Escola’s training programmes in Artificial Intelligence applied to port and logistics environments. Already delivered in Italy and Barcelona, these programmes could be extended to additional Spanish Port Authorities and to Puertos del Estado itself, adapting content to strategic and operational needs.

The discussion further highlighted collaboration within the framework of the Short Sea Shipping Promotion Centre (SPC Spain). Puertos del Estado participates in the Academic Council of the Escola through a designated representative, who also represents the institution within SPC Spain’s governing body. This partnership is further strengthened by the active involvement of Puertos del Estado professionals as lecturers in the Escola’s training programmes.

This meeting consolidates a stable and forward-looking partnership between both institutions, centred on knowledge development, technical capacity-building, and the modernisation of Spain’s port system.

Algeria and Spain Strengthen Port Training Cooperation through OPEN TRADE MED

/in , ,

An official Algerian Ports delegation has concluded a high-level institutional visit to Barcelona, marked by the signature of a cooperation agreement between the SERPORT Group and Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport. The agreement establishes a framework for long-term collaboration in training, capacity building and technical cooperation in the fields of ports, logistics, transport and international trade.

The cooperation agreement was signed by Mr. Hedjal Ryad, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the SERPORT Group, on behalf of the Algerian port authority, and by representatives of Escola Europea, formalising a shared commitment to strengthening professional skills and institutional cooperation between Algeria and Spain. The signing ceremony took place at the headquarters of Escola Europea in the presence of Mr. José Alberto Carbonell, President of the Port of Barcelona and President of the Escola Europea, and Mr. Eduard Rodés, Director of Escola Europea.

Mr. Hedjal Ryad, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SERPORT Group; Mr. José Alberto Carbonell, President of the Port of Barcelona; and Mr. Eduard Rodés, Director of Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport

The agreement was signed within the framework of the OPEN TRADE MED project (Operations and Procedures for Employment and Networking for Trade in the Mediterranean), a regional initiative supported by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and aligned with the strategic priorities of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).
The pilot phase of OPEN TRADE MED will initially involve the ports of Algiers (Algeria) and Tripoli (Lebanon), with a view to progressive expansion to other Mediterranean port-logistics communities.

A partnership focused on skills, sustainability and employability

The agreement reflects a shared vision to reinforce human capital across Mediterranean port-logistics communities, with a particular focus on youth employability, digitalisation, sustainability and intermodal transport solutions. Through this partnership, SERPORT and Escola Europea will jointly develop training programmes, pilot actions and knowledge-exchange initiatives, while facilitating the integration of Algerian ports and training centres into wider Euro-Mediterranean cooperation networks.

At the core of this collaboration lies the OPEN TRADE MED project, a multi-year regional programme designed to equip students, teachers and professionals with practical, employment-oriented skills for sustainable international trade. The project combines training-of-trainers schemes, applied learning methodologies and digital simulation tools, notably through the Port Virtual Lab, bridging the gap between education and real-world port and logistics operations.

OPEN TRADE MED is being implemented across nine Mediterranean countries and ten port-logistics communities, promoting ethical decision-making, gender equality and environmentally responsible transport practices such as short sea shipping and intermodal logistics. By bringing together education providers, port authorities and international institutions, the project aims to strengthen regional connectivity and support the development of resilient and competitive Mediterranean trade systems.

Institutional dialogue at the heart of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation

Beyond the signing of the agreement, the visit provided an opportunity to deepen institutional dialogue between Algerian and European stakeholders. The delegation held meetings with key Euro-Mediterranean organisations, including the Union for the Mediterranean and IEMed, to exchange views on regional integration, sustainable development and the strategic role of ports as drivers of economic growth and qualified employment.

The programme also included an institutional maritime visit to the Port of Barcelona, offering first-hand insights into port governance, intermodal connectivity, digital innovation and sustainability strategies.

A long-term commitment

With the signature of this agreement, SERPORT Group and Escola Europea reaffirm their commitment to long-term Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, placing education, innovation and sustainability at the centre of port and logistics development. The partnership represents a concrete step towards stronger institutional ties between Algeria and Spain, and towards a more connected, skilled and sustainable Mediterranean region.

About the OPEN TRADE MED (Operations and Procedures for Employment and Networking for Trade in the Mediterranean)

What is OPEN TRADE MED?

OPEN TRADE MED is a regional cooperation project aimed at strengthening skills, employability and sustainable practices in international trade, transport and logistics across the Mediterranean. The project focuses on bridging the gap between education and real-world port and logistics operations.

Objectives

  • Strengthen employment-oriented training in ports, logistics and international trade
  • Improve youth employability and professional skills in Mediterranean countries
  • Promote sustainable and intermodal transport solutions
  • Foster digitalisation and innovation in trade and logistics education
  • Ensure gender equality and inclusive participation

Geographical Scope

  • 9 Mediterranean countries
  • 10 port-logistics communities
  • Involvement of vocational, occupational and higher-education training centres

Key Target Groups

  • Students and young professionals
  • Teachers and trainers (training-of-trainers approach)
  • Port and logistics professionals
  • Training institutions and port authorities

Key Components

  • Training-of-Trainers programmes to build local teaching capacity
  • Applied training courses in international trade, transport and logistics
  • Digital simulation tools, notably the Port Virtual Lab, enabling participants to work with realistic port, transport and trade scenarios
  • Pilot actions and local courses adapted to each port-logistics community
  • Networking and institutional cooperation at Euro-Mediterranean level

Core Themes

  • Sustainable logistics and transport
  • Intermodality and short sea shipping
  • Digitalisation and smart mobility
  • Ethical decision-making and governance
  • Gender equality and youth inclusion

Institutional Framework

  • Supported by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID)
  • Aligned with the priorities of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)
  • Implemented in cooperation with port authorities, training institutions and international organisations

Expected Impact

  • Strengthened professional skills across Mediterranean port-logistics communities
  • Improved employability and access to quality jobs
  • Enhanced regional cooperation and connectivity
  • Greater adoption of sustainable and digital logistics practices

Project Leader

  • Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport

When the Sector Changes, We Change With It: The Role of Educators in the New Logistics Era

/in , ,
Eduard Rodés - Director of the Escola Europea Intermodal Transport

Written by: Eduard Rodés, director of the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport

Twenty years have passed since we began training new generations of transport and logistics professionals at the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport. Two decades in which we have witnessed the sector evolve at a pace that, not long ago, would have seemed unimaginable. And throughout these twenty years, one lesson has repeated itself again and again: logistics changes — and training must change with it.

Today, we find ourselves in the midst of a true shift in era. Geopolitical dynamics are reshaping global supply chains; digitalisation and artificial intelligence are redefining entire professions; the energy transition is accelerating; and sustainability – once an aspiration – has become an operational imperative. In this context, infrastructures adapt, companies transform, and ports redefine their role. But none of this is possible – or sustainable – without one essential element: the people who train the people.

The Real Engine of Change: The Educators

At the Escola Europea, we have always believed that knowledge is not built from theory alone, but through experience. Our constructivist approach — which today feels so contemporary — was born from something simple: accompanying students and professionals to see, touch and live logistics firsthand. This philosophy gave rise to programmes such as MOST, SURCO, and the training stays aboard Ro-Pax vessels and in terminals, where learners observe, handle and understand logistics operations in the field.

What was once a distinctive option has now become an absolute necessity. The growing complexity of the sector demands professionals capable of interpreting data, making quick decisions, operating in digital environments, communicating clearly, and adapting to constant change. These competencies – the so-called soft and power skills – can only be developed through active, collaborative, scenario-based methodologies.

This is where educators come in. Far from diminishing with the arrival of new technologies, their role is becoming more central than ever. Technology will not replace teachers, but it is profoundly transforming their function. The 21st-century educator is no longer a transmitter of information; they are a designer of experiences, a facilitator of learning, a creator of contexts that connect theory and practice.

And it is precisely to support them in this evolving role that we created Chiron.

Chiron: A Necessary Companion for the Educators of the Future

Chiron is a natural step in our evolution as an institution. After twenty years accompanying thousands of students and professionals, we have also observed up close how the role of the educator is changing. Technology advances, methodologies shift, and the classroom – physical or virtual – is no longer a static space but a living environment that demands constant adaptation.

This is the context in which Chiron was born: as a way to support the educators who work with Port Virtual Lab and who, every day, search for new ways to bring logistics, international trade and administration closer to their students. Many are already innovating, testing active methodologies, designing realistic scenarios or exploring how to integrate AI into their classes. But they all agree on one thing: teaching in this new environment requires time, practice, and a space to exchange ideas and feel supported.

Chiron’s mission is simple yet essential: to provide support to the educators who are part of the PVL Open Lab community, offering them a framework where they can develop their work with greater confidence and more tools.

AI and Advanced Simulation: A Key Combination for Port and Logistics Learning

The debate is no longer whether technology – including AI – should enter ports or training centres, but how to integrate it responsibly, meaningfully, and with educational purpose. In many of our recent courses – such as Energy Transition in Ports: Build Your Port Energy Transition Plan – it is clear that learners expect training to incorporate tools that bring practice closer to operational reality.

In this context, advanced simulation has become a cornerstone. Today, students work with environments that allow them to personalise learning paths, analyse data, recreate complex scenarios and visualise the consequences of decisions within a safe, controlled environment. AI helps accelerate certain processes – from pattern detection to the automation of basic cognitive tasks — but it is simulation that truly transforms learning. It makes port, intermodal and energy operations comprehensible, tangible and experienceable even before reaching the quay.

Tools capable of recreating real-world operations – from maritime–rail coordination to energy or customs scenarios – enable students to make complex decisions and see their consequences in real time. AI enhances these simulations, yes, but it is the realism of the operational environment that turns the experience into deep and meaningful learning.

Technology, however, also brings new challenges: more sophisticated digital competencies, new ways of assessing learning, and even the need to rethink the educator’s role. This is why, at the Escola Europea, we speak of applied humanism: integrating AI and simulation without losing sight of the fact that the centre of the learning process remains the person.

Over these twenty years, our evolution has been constant. Port Virtual Lab is perhaps the best example: a simulation ecosystem that enables learners to execute real logistics chains, work with real documentation, respond to unexpected events and understand the complexity of intermodal transport from the inside. Its growth — from the initial maritime model to newly added rail, customs and energy modules – mirrors the transformation of the sector itself.

Twenty Years of Building Logistics Talent – And What Comes Next

Celebrating our 20th anniversary is not about looking back, but about reaffirming something we have practiced since the beginning: educational excellence is born from dialogue with the sector. Our MOST and SURCO programmes, the energy transition courses, Port Virtual Lab and the upcoming deployment of Chiron all demonstrate this conviction. We evolve because we listen – to ports, to companies, to educators, to students.

And at a moment when the sector is undergoing profound transformation – energy transition, digitalisation, new regulations, geopolitical tension, shifting supply chains – the training we provide must accompany that change, anticipate it, and help drive it.

That is why, at this milestone moment for the Escola, we want to highlight the role of educators. Without them, no talent strategy, digital transition, or sustainability agenda will be possible.

Logistics will change even more in the next twenty years. And we will continue to change with it. Because our job is not only to train – it is to prepare people for a future that is already here.

 

The Human Side of Digitalisation: A Conversation with Jaime Luezas

/in , , , ,

As the maritime and logistics sectors accelerate their digital transition, one idea is becoming increasingly clear: true transformation is not about technology alone. While systems become more advanced and interoperability grows more feasible, the real barriers – and opportunities – lie elsewhere.

To understand where the future is headed, Odiseo spoke with Jaime Luezas, Head of Port Community Services at Puertos del Estado (Spain) and one of the leading voices in port digitalisation. In this conversation, he reflects on the shift from documents to data spaces, the critical role of semantic standards, and why emotional intelligence may be just as important as artificial intelligence.

 

De izquierda a derecha: Antonio Vargas, Alexandre Ariza y Jaime Luezas durante el curso MOST

Below is the full interview.

Conversation with Jaime Luezas, Head of Port Community Services, Puertos del Estado (Spain)

Q: We often talk about sharing, committing and cooperating, yet when it comes to sharing data, there seems to be a reluctance. From your perspective, what is the current state of play, and how should we approach the future?

Jaime Luezas:
In my view, the technical problem has already been solved. Today, interoperability between different systems is technologically possible—even if those systems were developed separately or use different architectures. The real challenges are semantic interoperability and trust.

Semantic interoperability means that we all understand data in the same way. This requires ontology, common definitions and international standards, which are still under development. And then there is trust—not only between companies, but between people. Digitalisation also involves emotional management.

Q: In the past, initiatives like eb-XML attempted to create data dictionaries and harmonisation mechanisms. Is that approach still relevant?

Jaime Luezas:
The technology may have evolved, but the principle remains the same: either we agree on a common data standard, or we build translation mechanisms. Artificial intelligence can help automate translations, but the underlying semantic exercise still needs to be done.

Q:There is often confusion between digitisation and digitalisation. How should we define these concepts?

Jaime Luezas:
In English, we differentiate between digitization and digitalization.

Digitization is simply converting analog information, such as paper documents, into digital form.

Digitalization is much deeper—it means structuring business processes around data, rather than documents. That is where true transformation happens.

Q: You have worked extensively on the concept of data as the fundamental unit, beyond traditional documents like the customs declaration (DUA). How should we think about that?

Jaime Luezas:
Exactly. The DUA is a document, yes, but ultimately it is just a set of data elements. The future lies in exchanging those data elements directly, rather than sending whole documents.

Q: We are moving toward smart ports and increasingly complex logistics environments. What role does training play in this transition?

Jaime Luezas:
Training is essential. First, to understand the technology and governance models of data exchange, and to remove the fear of sharing information. Second, because training creates human connection. It builds trust and emotional intelligence—without that, digitalisation will not succeed.

Q: Simple has been a key driver of recent developments. Will it also transform logistics chains and sustainability efforts?

Jaime Luezas:
Yes. Simple provides the platform that connects systems and enables interoperability. Its success will be reinforced by new legislation such as the Sustainable Mobility Law and the mandatory use of electronic control documents. These changes will accelerate digital transformation across the logistics chain.

Q: What do you think are the main challenges for port communities over the next five years?

Jaime Luezas:
The main challenge is to transition from document-based processes to data spaces. This will fundamentally change how we operate. Additionally, ports must understand that they are not isolated hubs. They are nodes within global supply chains and must be fully integrated with broader logistics ecosystems.

Q: Jaime, thank you for your insights. Before we close, is there anything else you would like to add—something you feel is important to highlight, given the opportunity?

Jaime Luezas:
I would just say that the only real, practical experience I have seen of genuine coexistence and emotional collaboration is the Escola Europea. I have known it for many years, and I truly see it as a model of what we are talking about: emotional intelligence in logistics communities. Every time I have participated, I have seen people leave more open, more human, and more willing to collaborate.

Odiseo:
That is exactly what we aim for. Thank you, Jaime.

Mediterranean Journeys: The Italian Chapter of the Escola’s Story

/in , ,

Every journey has a point of departure. For the Escola in Italy, that moment arrived long before an office was opened or a partnership was formalised. It began with a simple yet powerful intuition: Italy was ready for a new way of learning logistics – one rooted in experience, immersion, and connection.

Years before 2019, Italian port communities were already showing a growing interest in experiential training. When the first editions of Formati al Porto were offered to students and professionals in Civitavecchia, something became immediately clear: Italy was hungry for knowledge that could be lived, not only studied. These early programmes were modest in scale yet rich in impact. Participants walked through terminals guided by experts, listened to ships’ crews explain real-life operations, and discovered how the port of Civitavecchia truly functioned, not in theory, but in practice. The enthusiasm that followed revealed a need, a gap, and an opportunity. By 2019, the momentum could no longer be ignored. With the inauguration of the Escola’s Italy office in Civitavecchia, a new phase began, one that transformed isolated trainings into a structured, national initiative.

The new office brought:

  • A local team dedicated to the Italian logistics ecosystem
  • A growing network of partners among port authorities, training institutions, and maritime clusters
  • A stronger Mediterranean identity focused on Italy’s unique strategic position

This was not an expansion for expansion’s sake. It was the beginning of a journey of co-creation. From Civitavecchia, the Escola’s presence spread steadily: to Genoa, with its unmatched maritime heritage and to Palermo and Western Sicily, a region whose openness and strategic vision led to one of the Escola’s most significant milestones. In 2023, the Port System Authority of the Western Sicily Sea formally joined the Escola as a partner – an act that didn’t simply widen our map, but enriched it. Sicily brought new stories, new challenges, and new voices to our Mediterranean training ecosystem. As the Italian network grew, so did the programmes designed for it. Formati al Porto, now transformed into the Port Academy network – Rome Port Academy, Genoa Port Academy, and Sicily Port Academy – became the foundational gateways for students to discover port-community life from the inside. MOST (Motorways Of the Sea Training) Italy continued to bring participants aboard vessels, allowing them to experience maritime and intermodal transport firsthand. With MOST Italy+ reaching also France besides Spain, rail intermodality became an essential thread, reflecting the sector’s evolving priorities.

And 2024 marked a historic milestone: the first edition of MOST Sicily, connecting the ports of Palermo and Genoa. For the first time, every major Italian port in our ecosystem became part of a unified learning journey, one that allowed participants to experience the Mediterranean as a continuous, interconnected landscape. More recently, Italy became the testing ground for new thematic lines, including digitalisation and AI in port environments, with the first course on Artificial Intelligence for Port Authorities. Through all of this, the philosophy never changed:

  • We do not operate ports. We reveal them.
  • We do not move cargo. We move perspectives.

Behind every training are hundreds of conversations, observations, and moments that often matter more than the lectures themselves. I have watched students step off the bus after a terminal visit with eyes widened by the complexity they had just discovered. I have seen professionals rediscover pride in their work as they explained their roles to a new generation. And I have witnessed teams from different Italian regions connect as if the Mediterranean had always been their common language. These are the transformations that no metric can capture. And yet, the numbers tell a story too: rising participation, growing programme editions, expanding partnerships, and a steady increase in Italian institutions joining the Escola’s journey.

As we approach the Escola’s twentieth anniversary, Italy stands as one of the most vibrant chapters of our broader Mediterranean narrative. What began as a few training sessions has become a living network – fluid, collaborative, and constantly evolving. Italy has taught us that journeys in education do not unfold in straight lines. They grow in circles expanding outward through relationships, curiosity, and shared purpose. Today, the Escola doesn’t just work in Italy. It belongs to Italy, its ports, its communities, its ambitions, and its Mediterranean heart. The journey continues. And as with every true Mediterranean voyage, the horizon promises new encounters, new routes, and new stories waiting to be lived.

Written by:

Alessia Mastromattei
Country Manager – Italy
Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport

YEP MED by the Escola Europea wins the WestMED Best Project 2025 Award in Tunis

/in , , , ,

On the 28th of November, the YEP MED – Young Employment in Ports of the Mediterranean project, led by the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport, received the prestigious WestMED Best Project 2025 Award in the category of Blue Skills & Ocean Literacy during the ceremony held in Tunis. This award recognises Mediterranean initiatives that significantly contribute to the development of blue skills and ocean literacy.

Alessia Mastromattei, Country Manager for Italy, and Marta Miquel, Deputy Director General, accepted the award on behalf of the Escola Europea.

The ceremony took place within the framework of the 5th WestMED Stakeholder Conference (WestMED Conference 2025), organised by the WestMED Blue Economy Initiative and supported by the European Commission through the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) on behalf of DG MARE. The event gathered key regional actors to advance cooperation, innovation, and sustainable development across the Mediterranean.

Funded by the ENI CBC MED programme of the European Union, YEP MED has transformed the way young people, teachers, and professionals access maritime and port training. The project was particularly recognised for democratizing education through innovative tools such as the Port Virtual Lab, an immersive platform that allows users to simulate real port logistics chain operations. This hands-on methodology has helped develop essential skills related to digitalisation, sustainability, environmental management, international trade, and teamwork.

YEP MED connected eight Mediterranean ports – including Barcelona, Valencia, Marseille, Rome, Tunis, Beirut, Damietta, and Aqaba – creating an active collaborative network that has boosted youth talent in the port and logistics sectors. Thanks to this joint effort, the project achieved remarkable impact: 3,683 trained students, 161 courses delivered, 72 trainers trained, and over 1,093 internships and job placements across 514 companies, ensuring gender-balanced participation throughout.

Although the project officially concluded in 2023, YEP MED remains alive through the work of PLIKA – Port Logistics International Knowledge Academy, which continues to strengthen and expand the community created by the initiative. A recent example is PLIKA’s participation in the Mediterranean Day event on 27 November, where regional stakeholders exchanged experiences and reaffirmed their commitment to blue education and sustainable maritime economies.

Receiving the WestMED award reinforces YEP MED’s position as a regional benchmark in training, port cooperation, and blue talent development, demonstrating that transnational collaboration can generate long-lasting and replicable results across the Mediterranean basin.

The WestMED Stakeholder Conference 2025, where the recognition was presented, brought together government representatives, academic institutions, ports, companies, and international organisations from across the region. The event focused on strategic areas of the blue economy – including energy transition, sustainable aquaculture, maritime spatial planning, and especially training and blue skills – and served as a key platform to foster new synergies and projects that support the sustainable development of the Mediterranean.

The Escola Europea strengthens its growth in 2025 by training students, teachers, and professionals

/in , , ,

The Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport shared today the main conclusions and developments from the Executive Committee meeting held in Barcelona on 17 November 2025. The meeting highlighted the remarkable growth of training activity during 2025 and approved the work plan and objectives for 2026, with a special focus on consolidating in-person courses and strengthening the Port Virtual Lab (PVL) and its complementary tools, such as the Chiron programme for educators.

En la foto (de izquierda a derecha): Eduard Rodés, Director de la Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport; Catalina Grimalt Falcó, Subdirectora General de Organización y Recursos Internos del Port de Barcelona; Matteo de Candia, General Manager de GNV España; Luca Lupi, Secretary General de la Autorità di Sistema Portuale del Mare di Sicilia Occidentale; Mario Massarotti, Consejero Delegado de Grimaldi Logistica España; y Marta Miquel, Deputy Director General de la Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport.

Training growth in 2025

During 2025, the Escola Europea delivered 229 training activities that brought together 7,431 participants, consolidating its practical training model oriented towards a sustainable port and logistics sector. These activities include vocational programmes in all its ports: the Forma’t al Port and Talent programmes and the Port Academies in Italy; university training carried out on board vessels through the MOST Management programme; and professional courses, including specialised courses on Artificial Intelligence for port-logistics communities, as well as a wide range of tailor-made courses and technical visits. Added to all this are the distance-learning courses based on the Port Virtual Lab simulation tool, which is increasingly attracting training centres to join the network.

The Port Virtual Lab (PVL) showed sustained and significant growth in 2025. The platform now includes 31 training centres across 11 countries. Throughout the year, the CHIRON programme, designed for teacher training, has been launched and has consolidated specific capacity-building sessions for teachers and educators. Multiple training-of-trainers activities were developed, bringing together dozens of institutions from different countries to train educators in the pedagogical use of the simulator.

New functionalities and products have also been introduced within the PVL ecosystem, including: a new insurance module, an inland waterway navigation module, and the creation of new port nodes within the Port Virtual World.

Among the new additions in 2025 is the first pilot edition of the SHIP course (Short-Sea High Efficiency Intermodal Planning), aimed at nautical and naval engineering students and opening the door to a new audience.

The diversity of the student body is reflected in the participation of 78 nationalities, and in the commitment to teaching in English across the entire catalogue. The Executive Committee highly valued these results and approved the 2026 growth plan and strategic lines, which include the consolidation of the international expansion of the PVL, the creation of logistics communities within the Port Virtual World, and the launch of the “Education Beyond Intelligence” programme to mark the Escola’s 20th anniversary.

The Escola Europea expresses its gratitude for the ongoing collaboration of its institutional and corporate partners and reaffirms its commitment to practical training, educational innovation, and capacity-building for more efficient and sustainable intermodal logistics and transport.

Escola Europea and DLTM Join Forces to Promote International Mobility and Maritime Education

/in , ,

Signed in La Spezia on 29 October 2025 by Eduard Rodés, Director of the Escola Europea, and Giovanni Lorenzo Forcieri, President of DLTM, the memorandum sets the foundation for joint initiatives under the Erasmus+ programme. These initiatives will support the development of training pathways and professional exchanges designed to promote sustainable transport, port logistics, and intermodal operations and maritime education.

The agreement reflects the shared commitment of both organisations to strengthen ties between the Liguria region – home to a vibrant maritime cluster that includes the ports of Genoa and La Spezia – and Barcelona’s thriving port and logistics community. By connecting clusters of enterprises and universities in Liguria with the Escola’s network of training programmes in Barcelona, the partnership aims to boost knowledge exchange and professional mobility across the Mediterranean.

“This agreement reinforces our educational bridge between Italy and Spain,” said Eduard Rodés, Director of the Escola Europea. “Through cooperation with DLTM, we can create new opportunities for students and professionals to experience intermodality in action, share best practices, and strengthen the future workforce of the maritime and logistics sectors.”

As part of this collaboration, the partners will also explore synergies with the Port Academies initiative in Italy – inspired by the Escola’s Forma’t al Port programme in Barcelona – which brings port operations and logistics education directly into vocational classrooms, helping to connect young learners with real-world port environments.

“The agreement with the Escola Europea of Barcelona strengthens DLTM’s international focus and opens up new growth opportunities in this sector for our companies,” added Giovanni Lorenzo Forcieri, President of the Ligurian District of Marine Technologies. “The memorandum of understanding just signed offers the chance to acquire advanced skills in the maritime and logistics sectors and to develop European projects of high innovative value, contributing to the competitiveness, sustainability, and internationalization of the Ligurian region.”

The agreement marks another important milestone in the Escola’s mission to empower the industry through education, expanding its footprint in Italy and contributing to a more connected and sustainable Mediterranean logistics ecosystem.