Grupo Arola joins Forma’t al Port to support the development of future logistics talent

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The company becomes a new sponsor of the Escola Europea’s flagship training programme, reinforcing the connection between education and the port-logistics industry.

Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport is pleased to announce the incorporation of Grupo Arola as a new sponsor of Forma’t al Port, the training programme that connects students with the port and logistics ecosystem of Barcelona through practical, industry-oriented learning experiences.

From left to right: Alejandro Arola, President of Grupo Arola; Ariadna Arola, Chief Research and Development Officer at Grupo Arola; Eduard Rodés, Director of Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport; and Marta Miquel, Deputy Director of Escola Europea, during the signing of the sponsorship agreement that formalises Grupo Arola’s incorporation into the Forma’t al Port programme.

The agreement strengthens the collaboration between the business and educational sectors with a shared objective: supporting the development of young talent and preparing future professionals for careers in logistics, transport, and international trade.

For more than ten years, Forma’t al Port has brought students closer to the realities of the Port of Barcelona and its logistics community. Through direct interaction with companies, industry professionals, and operational environments, participants gain first-hand insight into the sector while developing both technical knowledge and transversal skills.

Today, the programme is supported by more than 35 sponsors, including public administrations, logistics-port associations, shipping companies, freight forwarders, transport operators, depots, and other key stakeholders from the sector. In addition, a network of collaborating entities, many of them port terminals, contributes to the practical training activities that form an essential part of the programme.

In 2025, Forma’t al Port celebrated its tenth anniversary, bringing together 636 students from 15 educational centres and consolidating its position as one of the leading applied training initiatives within the port-logistics sector.

The programme is structured around two complementary stages. Forma’t al Port Introduction introduces first-year students to the fundamentals of the port ecosystem and the roles of its different actors. Forma’t al Port Talent, aimed at second-year students, focuses on the development of high-performance teams in transport and logistics management, combining technical training with the enhancement of soft skills, teamwork, communication, and professional competencies.

As part of this new collaboration, Ariadna Arola, Chief Research and Development Officer at Grupo Arola, will serve as sponsor and mentor of the upcoming Forma’t al Port Talent edition. During the programme, she will share her professional experience and vision of the logistics sector with participating students, offering valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities that await future professionals.

“At Escola Europea, we firmly believe that preparing the next generation of logistics professionals requires close collaboration between educational institutions and industry. We are delighted to welcome Grupo Arola to the Forma’t al Port community and look forward to working together to inspire and support future talent,” said Marta Miquel, Deputy General Director of the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport.

The incorporation of Grupo Arola reinforces Forma’t al Port’s commitment to bridging education and industry, ensuring that students gain the knowledge, skills, and professional connections needed to thrive in an increasingly interconnected, innovative, and sustainable logistics sector.

Rail on Track: Port2Rail Returns to Portugal and SURCO Navarra Brings Intermodality to the Region

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We’ve been busy on the rails. This spring, two new programmes have taken our approach to hands-on training directly into the field — connecting learning with real infrastructure, real operations, and real logistics networks.

The Port2Rail 2026 cohort. Three days, six logistics nodes, and a train full of people who understand that the best way to learn intermodality is to live it.

Port2Rail is back — fourteen years on

Port2Rail, our practical course on maritime-rail intermodality, returned to Portugal with a new edition that took participants through Lisbon, Setúbal, Sines, Aveiro, Leixões and Entroncamento. Fourteen years after its first edition, the concept remains the same: the train journey itself becomes the classroom.

 

From the vault: participants of the very first Port2Rail edition, 2011. Fourteen years later, the train is still running

Over three days, transport, logistics and international trade professionals combined technical sessions, operational visits and hands-on exercises with the Port Virtual Lab, exploring Portugal’s key logistics nodes and analysing the integration of ports, rail terminals and intermodal corridors in real time.

The programme was developed together with APAT – Associação dos Transitários de Portugal, with the participation of the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, Infraestruturas de Portugal, CP – Comboios de Portugal, MEDWAY, and the port authorities of Lisbon, Setúbal, Sines, Aveiro and Leixões.

As our director Eduard Rodés put it: “Running this course on rails again, fourteen years after its first edition, meant recovering a way of learning that is directly connected to the operational reality of rail and intermodal transport. These initiatives are only possible thanks to the collaboration between public institutions, rail operators, port authorities, companies and training organisations who believe in education built from real experience.”

SURCO Navarra: rail in regional context

Alongside Port2Rail, we recently delivered the SURCO Navarra programme, developed in collaboration with the Government of Navarra — which funded it entirely — and with the support of CEN and AER. The programme brought together shippers, carriers, logistics operators and vocational training teachers in Pamplona and Tudela to explore the role of rail within regional and international logistics chains.

Participants visited the Traffic Control Centre in Zaragoza, the Zaragoza Maritime Terminal and the intermodal terminal in Noáin — translating real infrastructure into shared learning.

Both programmes reflect what we do best: training that doesn’t happen in a classroom alone, but inside the logistics networks we’re all working to improve.

MSC joins Escola Europea’s “Forma’t al Port” programme as a new sponsor

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MSC joins the Escola Europea’s Forma’t al Port programme as a new sponsor, strengthening collaboration between the logistics sector and education to support young talent.

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Escola Europea and Spediporto Join Forces on Logistics Training

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The Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport and Spediporto, one of Italy’s leading logistics associations, have signed a framework collaboration agreement in Barcelona aimed at strengthening cooperation in logistics training, intermodality, digitalisation, and innovation across the Mediterranean logistics sector.

Eduard Rodés, Director of Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport, and Giampaolo Botta, General Manager of Spediporto, during the signing of the collaboration agreement in Barcelona aimed at strengthening logistics training, digitalisation, and intermodal cooperation across the Mediterranean sector

The agreement was signed during a two-day institutional visit by representatives of the Genoa port community to Barcelona, bringing together members of the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority, logistics operators, sector associations, and private companies active in transport and international trade.

The new partnership establishes a framework for the joint development of specialised training initiatives focused on intermodal transport, digital transformation, artificial intelligence applied to logistics and port operations, and participation in European projects.

For the Escola Europea, the agreement reinforces its commitment to building stronger links between Mediterranean logistics communities and promoting practical, industry-oriented training adapted to the challenges currently shaping global supply chains.

“Collaboration between logistics communities is essential to accelerate innovation and prepare professionals for the operational and technological changes transforming the sector,” explained representatives of the Escola Europea during the meeting.

The visit also included technical sessions and exchanges on current trends affecting logistics and transport in Europe, including sustainability, operational efficiency, digitalisation, and the growing importance of multimodal transport corridors connecting ports, inland terminals, and industrial hubs.

“The logistics sector is undergoing profound operational and technological transformation, and collaboration between Mediterranean logistics communities will be essential to prepare professionals for the challenges ahead,” said Giampaolo Botta, General Manager of Spediporto.

Training for a rapidly evolving logistics sector

The agreement aligns with the Escola Europea’s broader strategy of expanding practical and future-oriented training programmes designed to support professionals navigating the digital and operational transformation of logistics and international trade.

Among these initiatives is Going Digital – Digital Transformation of International Trade Operations, an advanced online training programme focused on digitalisation, ERP systems, simulation-based learning, and operational decision-making in international logistics. The course combines expert sessions with immersive simulations using the Port Virtual Lab platform, allowing participants to work on real operational scenarios linked to export, import, and multimodal transport processes.

The programme is designed for freight forwarders, logistics operators, port logistics professionals, and international trade specialists seeking to strengthen their understanding of digital tools and innovation in supply chain management. Participants will work with ERP environments, digital documentation systems, operational dashboards, and sustainability indicators while developing practical case studies in collaborative teams.

As digitalisation, AI, and sustainability continue reshaping logistics operations across Europe, partnerships such as the one established between Escola Europea and Spediporto aim to foster knowledge exchange and create new opportunities for professional development across the Mediterranean logistics ecosystem.

About Spediporto

Spediporto – Associazione Spedizionieri, Corrieri e Trasportatori di Genova – is one of Italy’s leading logistics and freight forwarding associations. The organisation represents companies involved in international forwarding, logistics, customs operations, and transport services, promoting innovation, professional training, and competitiveness within the Italian logistics-port ecosystem.

From the Mediterranean to the world: Escola Europea consolidates its growth and sets a new strategic direction

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Barcelona, 22 April 2026 – Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport has presented its 2025 results during the meetings of its Executive Committee and Governing Board, confirming a year of sustained growth, international expansion, and consolidation of its educational model.

Representatives of the Governing Board and Executive Committee of Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport during the meetings held in Barcelona.

Bringing together key port and logistics stakeholders

The meetings gathered leading representatives from the international port and logistics ecosystem, including key figures from European port authorities and industry partners.

Participants in the Governing Board included José Alberto Carbonell (Port of Barcelona), Raffaele Latrofa (Port System Authority of the Central-Northern Tyrrhenian Sea), Annalisa Tardino (Port System Authority of the Western Sicilian Sea), Leonardo Picozzi (Port System Authority of the Western Ligurian Sea), Mario Massarotti (Grimaldi Lines), and Matteo Catani (GNV – MSC Group). Eduard Rodés, Director of Escola Europea, also participated.

The Executive Committee, chaired by Eduard Rodés, brought together representatives from partner institutions and companies, alongside invited guests from the Italian port system.

Experiencing port operations first-hand

The meetings were complemented by a technical visit to the Port of Barcelona, offering participants a first-hand look at key operational and strategic initiatives. The programme included presentations on the Nexigen project and the port’s cruise strategy, as well as visits to Onshore Power Supply (OPS) facilities and cruise terminals.

Participants also explored the Escola Europea’s training facilities and were introduced to innovation initiatives such as the Blue Tech Port, reinforcing the link between training, innovation, and real-world port operations.

A year of growth in training and outreach

In 2025, Escola Europea delivered 94 training programmes, reaching more than 3,200 participants.

A key element of its methodology remains experiential learning:

  • 800+ participants embarked on vessels to experience logistics operations first-hand
  • 1,000+ students engaged through local programmes such as Forma’t al Port and Port Academies
  • 900+ participants used the Port Virtual Lab (PVL), the Escola’s digital simulation platform

These initiatives are complemented by maritime visits, through which the Escola reached over 4,500 people, offering direct insight into port infrastructure and strategies.

➡️ In total, more than 200 activities reached approximately 7,700 participants throughout the year.

From the Mediterranean to the world: Escola Europea consolidates its growth and sets a new strategic direction

A comprehensive training ecosystem

The Escola’s activities form a structured educational ecosystem covering multiple audiences and needs:

  • Vocational training programmes, including Forma’t al Port and Port Academies
  • University-level programmes, such as MOST (Motorways of the Sea Training)
  • Specialised training, including SURCO rail-port operations and technical courses
  • Logistics and port workshops with real operational exposure
  • Innovation-driven programmes based on tools like the Port Virtual Lab (PVL)
  • Tailor-made training developed with institutional and industry partners
  • A growing international community

The Escola’s global alumni network now exceeds 23,000 professionals, strengthening connections across the port-logistics sector.

At the same time, digitalisation continues to expand its reach. The Port Virtual Lab (PVL) is now used by training centres across Europe, Africa, and the Mediterranean, enabling participants to simulate and manage supply chains in a practical, risk-free environment.

Looking ahead: a new strategic phase

2026 marks a turning point for the organisation, with the approval of its Strategic Plan 2026–2030.

As part of this new phase, Escola Europea strengthens its positioning as a “phygital” organisation, combining real-world logistics experience with digital simulation tools to deliver training adapted to an increasingly complex and digitalised sector.

Looking forward, the Escola will:

  • Reinforce its role as a training hub through European projects
  • Focus on sustainability, digitalisation, and skills development
  • Expand its connections beyond the Mediterranean to Northern Europe, Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East

 

“With this new strategy, we are not only training professionals — we are building a shared ecosystem where knowledge, innovation, and people come together to shape the future of global logistics,”
— Eduard Rodés, Director of Escola Europea

20 years connecting people, ports and progress

As Escola Europea celebrates its 20th anniversary, it reaffirms its mission:

to train, connect, and inspire the professionals who move global trade.

The Invisible Infrastructure of the Blue Economy

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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

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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

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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.