The Port of Valencia advances in its digitalisation thanks to the success of the ‘IMAGINE-B5G’ project

The initiative, in which Fundación Valenciaport is actively involved, has been co-funded by the Horizon Europe programme
The trials carried out validate the use of drones, artificial intelligence and augmented reality to optimise port operations
The European Commission has recognised the five pilot projects developed in Valencia as among the continent’s ten greatest achievements in port innovation

Valencia, 21 July 2026.- The European IMAGINE-B5G project has been successfully completed following the deployment and commissioning of 5GVLCPortLab, an advanced private 5G network serving as a testbed within the Port of Valencia. This initiative, co-funded by the Horizon Europe programme, coordinated globally by the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) and with the active participation of Fundación Valenciaport, has been made possible thanks to close collaboration with the Port Authority of Valencia, which provided the necessary facilities to test and validate industrial applications based on next-generation mobile communications in a real-world environment.

The significance of these results has been directly endorsed by the European Commission. The Commission has officially included the five technology pilot projects developed at the Valencia port complex amongst the select group of the ten greatest achievements in port technology innovation across the entire continent.

Boosting the competitiveness of the logistics cluster

The Valenciaport Foundation’s involvement in this type of international consortium is in line with its strategic objective of introducing disruptive technologies into the port environment. Through digital transformation and experimentation in real-world scenarios, the Foundation actively contributes to improving the efficiency, sustainability and competitiveness of the entire logistics and port cluster, whilst also laying the technological foundations for the future transition to 6G.

Five pilot projects focused on port safety and management

The network infrastructure developed has served as a test bed for implementing five pilot projects aimed at addressing critical day-to-day needs at the port:

• ADAPT-G (Drone surveillance): An advanced security system combining unmanned aerial vehicles and mixed-reality glasses for real-time monitoring of access points and restricted areas.

• RESCUE-5G (Maritime rescue operations): Real-time remote control of an unmanned surface vessel for visual inspection, search and rescue missions at sea.

• 5G-VIRTUFIX (Assisted maintenance): A solution enabling operators to repair complex machinery with remote support from experts and artificial intelligence via augmented reality glasses, thereby reducing downtime.

• PORTSAFE-B5G (Workplace safety and smart analytics): A platform that integrates security cameras, drones and automated ground vehicles to detect unauthorised access and verify the use of personal protective equipment.

• ABYSS-5G (Maritime security and monitoring): A system that integrates 5G connectivity and an unmanned surface vehicle for autonomous real-time surveillance, environmental monitoring and coastal rescue missions, reducing costs and risks to human life.

Technological continuity

The practical knowledge gained from the deployment, management and optimisation of these private networks paves the way for expanding the technology into operational areas with higher demand, such as container terminals.

To ensure the continuity of this line of work, Fundación Valenciaport is already participating in new initiatives such as the 5G-Valenciaport (CEF) and COP-PILOT (Horizon Europe) projects, which will enable the further development of technological solutions applied to transport and logistics.