The Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA) has published the seventh edition of its Annual Innovation Report, a document that compiles the main actions and achievements made during 2025 by the entity itself and by the logistical-port ecosystem of the Campo de Gibraltar in the area of R&D. The report includes management indicators, interviews with industry leaders, and a balance of projects that have moved from pilot phase to production during the year.
The letter that opens the report, co-signed by the president of the APBA, Gerardo Landaluce, and the general director, José Luis Hormaechea, places the innovative activity of 2025 in an international context that both describe as "an unparalleled global disorder, significantly impacting the flow of goods and, therefore, the activity of logistical and maritime nodes." Landaluce and Hormaechea cite the prolonged crisis of the Red Sea, the new military confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz, the proliferation of congestion points, and the distortions that the Emission Trading System (ETS) is introducing in maritime traffic and investment decisions.
In that scenario, the report notes that the Port of Algeciras has surpassed 100 million tons for the tenth consecutive year, has revalidated the title of the most efficient port in Europe in container traffic according to the World Bank for the fifth consecutive year, and has been designated as one of the seven hub ports globally by the Gemini Alliance. Regarding this last designation, the president and the general director emphasize the role of the APBA as a "digital operational orchestrator of the port ecosystem."
The main milestone of the year in terms of innovation governance has been the transition of the APBA's Innovation Management System to the ISO 56001:2024 standard, an international standard that replaces UNE 166002 and which the Port Authority has maintained certified uninterruptedly since December 2019. In the letter, Landaluce and Hormaechea describe the new certification as a tool that allows "applying structured innovation management, integrated into our strategy and aligned with global best practices." The adaptation facilitates the integration of new methodologies in areas such as knowledge management, open innovation, and collaboration with the port ecosystem.
This commitment has been transferred to the new Strategic Plan 2030 with a vision for 2040 approved during the year, which aims, according to the signatories, "to turn innovative initiatives into a driver of competitiveness and sustainability for the port and its area of influence." The declared goal is to make the vision of the Port of Algeciras of Next Generation a reality, defined in the document as a "smart (data-driven and systemic innovative), synchromodal (operational excellence, Just in Time, and logistical and modal integration), and green (sustainable and carbon-neutral)" enclave.
The report dedicates a specific chapter to the Innovation Committee of the Port of Algeciras, chaired by Jesús Medina, head of the APBA's Technological Development Area, which closed 2025 with 43 members after the incorporation of Logika Distribution, Satinel-System, and Continental Parking. The body has adopted a strategy of rotating venues for its meetings, with meetings held in July and October, the latter at the Campo de Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce. The section "Innovations by Algeciras," debuted in the October meeting, has served to present three joint initiatives: collaboration between APBA and Navozyme, the project between Bernardino Abad and WISeKey, and the partnership between Moeve and Gibraldrone.
In the project chapter, the document includes the implementation of artificial vision technology for managing port traffic, developed together with the German start-up Isarsoft within the framework of the European project AspBAN. It also details the advancements of the PANORAMA platform, aimed at observation, correlation, and early warning of environmental and operational events, co-financed by the FEDER Andalucía Operational Program 2021-2027 and developed with the University of Cádiz through the UCASE Research Group. In the Port of Tarifa, a continuous monitoring system for the structural health of the Sacred Heart monument, created by sculptor José Capuz in 1944, has been deployed using technology from the Deep Insight spin-off based on IoT nanosensors, accelerometers, and GPS-PPK.
Another project that has moved from pilot to production during 2025 is the integration of the estimated time of arrival (ETA) prediction API from Awake.AI into the APBA's Corporate System Integration Platform (PCIS). The report includes an interview with Karno Tenovuo, CEO and co-founder of Awake.AI, about applying artificial intelligence to the Just in Time model. Along with this, conversations with Alberto González Muíño, CTO and co-founder of Alén Space, about the SATMAR satellite communications project via the VDES standard, whose first pilot campaign was completed in December; with Juan Antonio Patrón Sandoval, head of the Sustainable Development Area of the APBA, about monitoring historical heritage; and with representatives of the Algeciras Port Digital Academy program.
In terms of open innovation, the report reviews the activity of the Digital Entrepreneurship Center in Port Logistics at the Port of Algeciras, part of the Mission Andalucía initiative promoted by the Junta de Andalucía. The center has supported nine start-ups in the acceleration phase —Ambervale Labs, Eonsea, Ocbo, Panssari, SCAI Engineering, SoleaHeat, Synnect, Torbellino Tech, and Wdtech— and three in the high-performance module —Deliverance Enterprises, Ion Technologies, and Simulation Zero—, with more than 60 training activities and over 100 hours of specialized mentoring throughout the year.
The third edition of the Algeciras Port Digital Academy program, aimed at vocational training centers, has expanded the list of collaborating companies with the incorporation of Baleària, Babel, Getronics, and OnNet Center to those already participating in previous editions. The report includes an interview with Jemuel Mark Gedalanga Agsaway, a former student of IES Kursaal hired as a software developer at Sopra Steria after going through the program, and with Cristina Muñoz Salas, head of the Computer Science Department at IES Saladillo. In parallel, the APBA has consolidated its role as the venue for the Junta de Andalucía's New Technologies training program on 5G, with five training editions completed in the 2024-2025 biennium and at least three new courses planned for 2026 and 2027.
The block of collaborations with start-ups includes the VIPE project on satellite monitoring of the vulnerability of port infrastructure using DInSAR technology, with Detektia and Deep Insight; the Smart Mobility Analytics system by Delonia Software for managing passengers and vehicles at port terminals; and the pilot campaign of the SATMAR satellite with Alén Space and Egatel, launched into orbit on June 23 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The APBA has also supported 17 proposals in the third call for the Ports 4.0 Fund for pre-commercial projects, out of a total of 26 reviewed, with a total allocation of 11.25 million euros and a maximum funding of 60% per project.
The document concludes with the chapter dedicated to the appearances of the Port of Algeciras in international meetings, including the MARLOG 14 congress in Alexandria, the 2025 ALICE Brokerage Event held in Brussels, the UIMP Port Week in Santander, the GreenTech event in Gothenburg, and the signing in San José, Costa Rica, of the digital interoperability project between the Central American Digital Trade Platform (PDCC) and the Port Community System (PCS) of the Port of Algeciras, an initiative aligned with the European Union's Global Gateway strategy.