T5.04 IT ITS tools at the Port of Ravenna

Overview/ summary

The Activity will aim at improving the logistic process in the port area, with special attention to the improvement of the circulation of trucks along the access roads to the port area. Specific tools such as a system for tracking, counting and classification of vehicles will be installed along the access roads to the port to get data related to the traffic in the port area that will be connected to the booking system and to the Port Community System for the improvement of the logistic process management and for allowing the analysis of traffic flows of heavy-duty vehicles. The project will also develop a Data Lake where all the data coming from different systems and a Data Analytics system will be concentrated and used to support the decision-making process and the calculation of KPIs for the evaluation of the efficiency of the process. The two deployments within the activity will provide a better knowledge of the traffic volume along the network approaching the port and will allow to digitalize and speed up the checks on the goods. The first action will provide an understanding of which roads are more congested and give indications or suggest alternative routes to trucks approaching/leaving different terminals, thus rationalizing the traffic of trucks in the area and will allow the reduction of congestions for controls on the goods entering/exiting the port. The ITS tools deployed will therefore lead to increased road safety and improvement of the intermodality (sea – road) of goods at the port of Ravenna and consequently within the Mediterranean and Baltic-Adriatic TEN-T corridors.

Introduction

The implementations will be carried out inside the Port of Ravenna, that is the only port of Emilia-Romagna region and 4^th in Italy in terms of goods handled, reaching 27.4 million tonnes in 2022. In order to cater for the needs of the region, such volumes need to be handled efficiently. The quantity of goods passing through the port also mean high levels of traffic in the port area and congestion due to lengthy checks on the goods. This, in turn, can cause inconveniences and risks to other road users. By speeding up the checks, these risks can be avoided and the efficiency of the intermodal activities can be improved.

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The core message

The task will aim at improving the logistic process for goods in the port area, with special attention to the improvement of the circulation of trucks along the access roads to the port area. To serve that purpose, different solutions will be offered in the framework of the project:

Tracking and counting. At least 3 virtual gates will be installed along the roads accessing the port area. The gates will count people and vehicles entering the restricted areas on the quays. This will lead to both increased security in the area and better overview of traffic flows.
Digital identity system will guarantee that the physical control at the gates does not become the bottleneck of the system and offers the users a new level of flexibility and a more secure way to verify the access permits. The digital identity will be based on a smartphone application. This will allow to eliminate physical badges that the user might lose or give to another person, and to reduce the costs of creating and managing these badges.
Data Lake and Data Analysis system. Based on the analysis of the data managed by different IT systems involved in the logistic process, it will be possible to support the decision-making process, activate automatisms, and calculate the KPIs helpful for the evaluation of the efficiency of the process.

The project is expected to result in increased knowledge regarding the traffic in the port area. This will lead to better management of traffic flows, which will benefit the intermodal (maritime – road) activities at the port of Ravenna and consequently within the Mediterranean and Baltic-Adriatic TEN-T corridors by making them more efficient. It is also expected to result in safer roads and decreased risk for other road users by reducing the congestion in the port area.

By the end of 2023, a call for tender will be published. The implementations will be carried out during 2024, leaving the last period of the project for testing.