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Meet Jorge Lara and Pablo Giménez from Fundación Valenciaport, key contributors to SEAMLESS WP5 – Digitalizing Logistics Operations. Their work focuses on developing ModalNET, an integrated supply chain platform enabling secure, resilient, and efficient cargo movement using autonomous ships. WP5 is building ModalNET, a digital tool that connects ports, road, and vessel operators, leveraging real-time data, cybersecurity, and AI-driven decision-making to optimize cargo transport. It plays a vital role in the project’s demonstration use cases across Europe.

Key Goals & Achievements:
– Creating a collaborative platform for real-time logistics optimization
– Designing a cyber-secure environment for seamless data exchange
– Connecting with other SEAMLESS modules to enable smart logistics
– Finalizing architecture and integration for project demos in Month 38

Looking Ahead:
Next steps include enhancing ModalNET’s functionalities to align with pilot needs, enabling first interactions with the Remote Operation Control Center (ROC), and preparing for real-world deployment.

Discover more by reading the interview!

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Brief Introduction: 

Can you briefly introduce yourself and your role in the SEAMLESS project? 

Jorge Lara holds several degrees, including a Business Degree and two Master’s Degrees from the University of Valencia and ICADE Business School on international trade, port management and intermodal transport. I began my career at Power Electronics España in 2001 and later worked with the Institute of International Economics and Fundación Valenciaport. Since 2014, I have focused on sustainability, alternative fuels, digitalization and circular economy projects in port environment. I coordinated the LOOP-Ports project and currently serve as Vicechair of the Port & Logistics IRAG at the Waterborne Technology Platform. My role in the project is to coordinate SEAMLESS activities where Fundación Valenciaport is participating and coordinating, mainly Work Package 5. 

Pablo Giménez received his M.Sc. degree in telecommunication engineering from the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia. Later he became a member of the Distributed Real-Time Systems research group of the Communication Department at the UPV, where he received his Ph.D. He was involved in research projects related to the implementation of SWE to logistics services, industrial safety and security assurance for smart grids safer. Since 2015, Pablo Giménez is working at the Fundacion ValenciaPort as IT project manager in research projects related to ICT, IoT, Big Data and cybersecurity, in the port, transport and logistics domain. He’s role in the project is to lead the ModalNET developments. 

Overview of Work Package: 

Could you provide an overview of your work package’s objectives and its importance within the SEAMLESS project? 

WP5 – Digitalizing logistics operations is a challenging work to be done in the frame of the project with the following objectives: 

• Develop SEAMLESS Building Block #3: Integrated Supply Chain Support (ModalNET) 

• Determine the requirements for efficient, secure, and resilient data management (incl. physical assets telemetry) by exploiting data spaces and SotA cyber security practices. Develop the architecture required for secure communication among the physical assets participating in the supply chain. 

• Introduce a digital collaborative communication framework among port operators, road operators, vessel operators and logistics companies (ModalNET platform). 

• Develop the ModalNET computational engine for achieving synchromodal and resilient dynamic management. 

ModalNET will be the platform that supports effectively the Demonstration Use cases of the project, gathering data needed, providing a tool to support decisions on how to move the cargo through different means of transport, monitoring the actual information that is occurring during the demos and assisting the shippers/customers in using logistics chains with autonomous ship included in their operations. 

Goals and Targets: 

What are the main goals of your work package? Are there any specific targets or milestones you aimed to achieve? 

The main goal is to facilitate a collaborative platform to run the demonstrators during the project in North Europe and Central Europe. The complexity of programming the tool to service inland waterways and maritime transport in combination with other means of transport is an important goal, also targeting different cargo types and information. 

Key Achievements: 

What are the key achievements of your work package so far?  

WP5 is an ongoing work package and will be ready in month 38 of the project for the demos. The achievements until now are the definition of the architecture to be used, the connectors with the matchmaking platform tool to facilitate the booking and the selection of the best route to move the cargo and the cybersecure environment that is addressed in the frame of the project. Most of the modules of ModalNET are already developed and now we are working in the validation and integration with other systems. 

Collaboration: 

How did you collaborate with other work packages? What has been the impact of this collaboration? 

As Modalnet is a key tool for proving that building blocks can be connected to each other, this requires the presence of WP5 developers and responsibility in many discussions in other work packages like WP2 and WP7. The interaction with WP3, the ports module and WP4, navigational aspects and autonomous ship in order to understand what pieces of information could be shared among different platforms is key. The impact of this collaboration is a clear co-design of the demonstration use cases taking into account the functionalities of Modalnet. 

Future Plans: 

What are the next steps for your work package? Are there any upcoming activities or developments you’re particularly excited about? 

The next steps are to continue developing the ModalNet tool to make it work in the framework of the project’s demonstrators and to adjust its functionalities to the needs arising from the design of the pilots to be implemented. Being able to see it working in autonomous ship environments and the first communications with the Remote Operation Control Center (ROC) are particularly motivating. 

Lessons Learned: 

What are some key lessons you’ve learned throughout the process? How might these lessons be applied to future projects or initiatives? 

The complexity of maritime-port environments makes it necessary to offer data sharing solutions aimed at conveniently informing customers about cargo. SEAMLESS is the first project that addresses how the autonomous vessel is inserted in real logistics chains, and therefore, a good collaboration between the agents involved is key to be able to carry out such developments. Good is the enemy of the optimal and it is more important that the tool or tools are functional and useful rather than exhaustive. 

Final Thoughts: 

Is there anything else you would like to share about your work package or the SEAMLESS project in general? 

More funding is needed for development and innovation of these projects, combining the different actors in the supply chain, with special emphasis on port environments where the implementation of the autonomous vessel still has a long way to go. Thank you very much for this opportunity to present the work of Fundación Valenciaport in SEAMLESS.