MTCOM: Building the Connected Port of Tomorrow
EdgeLab’s USV_EL CAT, an autonomous surface vehicle designed to collect, process and transmit critical information. Credit: EdgeLab S.p.A.
Ports are evolving from traditional infrastructure into intelligent, interconnected ecosystems. The MTCOM initiative is driving this transformation by developing technologies that enable the port of the future.
Co-financed by the Regional Programme – European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Liguria 2021–2027, MTCOM brings together EdgeLab, SMARTY, Sitep Italia, InfoCom, the University of Genoa and the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies (Pisa), combining expertise to develop innovative technologies for next-generation port environments.
At its core, MTCOM envisions the port as a cyber-physical ecosystem, where maritime assets, infrastructure and digital platforms continuously exchange information through a dedicated communication backbone. By integrating advanced monitoring systems, autonomous surface vehicles and a private 5G network, it delivers real-time situational awareness, improves the coordination of maritime traffic and infrastructure, enhances safety, and enables continuous environmental monitoring to support regulatory compliance and more sustainable port operations.
USV_EL CAT: A Mobile Intelligence Platform
Within the MTCOM ecosystem, EdgeLab’s USV_EL CAT plays a central role as an autonomous surface vehicle designed to collect, process and transmit critical information.
Designed for both remote-controlled and autonomous operations, the platform performs continuous survey and monitoring missions in shallow-water and harbor environments. Equipped with a multiparametric probe capable of measuring conductivity, temperature, water level, pH, dissolved oxygen and redox potential, together with a stereo vision system for obstacle detection, it continuously monitors environmental conditions while navigating safely through complex port areas.
Its modular payload architecture allows the integration of a wide range of sensors, enabling the USV_EL CAT to operate as a mobile sensing and communication node. Combined with GPS/INS navigation, long-range Wi-Fi, LTE and satellite communications, and a user-friendly Ground Control Station providing real-time GPS tracking, video streaming and system monitoring, the platform delivers real-time data and ensures connectivity between autonomous platforms, port infrastructure and digital services. In doing so, it extends the reach of the MTCOM network while supporting safer, more efficient and data-driven port operations.
Shaping the Next Generation of Smart Ports
MTCOM demonstrates how connectivity, autonomy and environmental intelligence can converge to reshape modern ports. By transforming fragmented processes into a unified, data-driven ecosystem, the project lays the foundations for a new generation of ports that are more connected, resilient and sustainable.
As maritime operations continue to embrace digitalization, initiatives such as MTCOM show how collaboration can turn today’s technological vision into tomorrow’s operational reality.
