“Ports are no longer dust and chains, as they were fifty years ago. Today, they are technology, innovation, research”. With these words, Matteo Paroli, President of the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority, opened his speech at the inaugural event of Genoa Shipping Week 2025, this year entitled “We, the People of the Sea”. He highlighted the ongoing transformation of Italian ports and Genoa’s role as a cutting-edge laboratory.
“I found a dynamic port, geared towards future challenges and determined to stay ahead of the curve,” Paroli said, quoting the motto of engineer Walter Malerba, astronaut and guest of honour at the event. The President stressed the importance of linking innovation and training, thanking the organisers for an initiative that “connects the world of ports with young people – those who will one day succeed us”.
Paroli also shared how his passion for radio and telecommunications taught him the value of dialogue between seemingly distant worlds: “I have spoken several times with the crews of Mir, international space stations, and the Space Shuttle Columbia – experiences that showed me how technology can bring different universes closer together”.
He added that this experience now informs his work in the port sector: “Modern ports are increasingly linked to space. Satellite systems allow us to position ships with centimetre-level precision during manoeuvres. It is a true paradigm shift”.
Projects with the European Space Agency, the digitalisation of terminals, and the development of autonomous ships – already in operation in Northern European and Japanese ports – are key pillars of this transformation. “Technology already enables autonomous vessel navigation. Today, the challenge is not technical, but regulatory. And rightly so, as the implications must be carefully assessed. But the direction is clear”. Innovation is already tangible in the Western Ligurian Sea port system. “At the Vado Gateway terminal, container handling is fully automated,” Paroli explained.
“There are no operators in the yards: everything is remotely controlled in a safe environment, ensuring greater efficiency and reducing both time and costs”.
In the near future, thanks to investment projects currently being developed by PSA Genova Pra’, an integrated development strategy could be implemented, positioning the Western Ligurian Sea port system as the first in Italy to feature two automated terminals, technologically on par with the leading European hubs.
This evolution also calls for new professional skills and expertise: “The workforce of the future will be different. We will need IT specialists, network engineers, cybersecurity experts, and legal professionals capable of addressing the new challenges of digitalisation. Some of these professions do not yet exist – we will train them in the years to come”.
The Port Authority has already decided to double its digital investments by 2026, allocating €5 million specifically to data protection and to improving the efficiency of cargo flows. Particular emphasis was placed on the new Genoa breakwater – an infrastructure of unprecedented scale and complexity, unique worldwide: "When I first arrived in Genoa, I had not fully realised the magnitude of the project. I became fully aware of it when visiting the construction site: a caisson 60 metres long and over 32 metres high, resting on seabeds never reached before. It is a monumental engineering work that will be studied by ports around the world”.
This project combines innovation and sustainability: the caissons will reuse dredged sediments from Genoa, La Spezia and Carrara, thereby reducing environmental impact and giving new life to these materials. It has the potential to become a model for the broader works currently underway in the Genoa and Savona-Vado basins, fostering virtuous synergies with other Italian port authorities.
In addition to the breakwater, Paroli highlighted that Genoa and Savona are hosting one of the world’s largest maritime construction projects, extending over 13 kilometres, with total investments of €3.6 billion. However, he cautioned that the breakwater alone is not sufficient: an integrated upstream infrastructure – encompassing rail, road and logistics – is essential to ensure the smooth flow of goods without affecting the city. Only then will the system function effectively.
A synergy between the port, the city and institutional actors, which the President regards as the key to success. “Such effective collaboration between the Port Authority, the Region, the Coast Guard and the Municipalities is rare. This is a model that Italy can proudly uphold”.
Paroli concluded by addressing the young people in the audience, extending an invitation: The world of ports is fascinating and ever-evolving. I hope many of you will feel inspired to say: "I want to give it a try too”.
