Prodevelop S.L., in consortium with CENIT (Centre for Innovation in Transport) and local partner WKN Trading Enterprise CC, will support the technical implementation of a digital port call optimisation platform at two ports in Namibia.
The project aims to reduce vessel waiting times and cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships whilst in port.
The 18-month pilot, delivered under the Global MTCC Network (GMN) Phase II project implemented by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and funded by the European Union (EU), builds on a pilot first announced by the IMO in November 2025 and marks the shift from technology identification to on-the-ground implementation.
The platform will be deployed at the Ports of Walvis Bay and Lüderitz, where it is expected to support GHG emission reductions of up to 7 per cent annually for ships in port.
The implementation consortium is led by Prodevelop S.L., a Spanish technology company specialising in port logistics and maritime digitalisation, working alongside CENIT, an innovation unit of Barcelona-based research centre CIMNE, which has an established track record in EU-funded maritime decarbonisation projects.
WKN Trading Enterprise CC will provide local support, on-site coordination and knowledge transfer to Namibian port personnel throughout the project.
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The Namibian Ports Authority (NAMPORT), as primary beneficiary, will participate in the deployment and operate the platform at both ports, with the pilot coordinated closely with MTCC Africa, the Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre established under GMN Phase I to promote sustainable maritime practices across the region.
The technical core of the project is POSIDONIA OPERATIONS, a SaaS-based Port Call Optimization platform developed by Prodevelop, which enables real-time data sharing among port community stakeholders, including port authorities, terminal operators, shipping agents, pilots and tugboat companies, to support better sequencing of vessel calls.
The platform uses standardised APIs aligned with the DCSA Just-In-Time (JIT) Port Call Programme and the International Taskforce on Port Call Optimisation (ITPCO), supporting interoperability across different port contexts.
Emissions calculations are based on EMEP-EEA guidelines and draw on experience from the European PIONEERS project, with prior applications at the ports of Barcelona and Antwerp-Bruges.
The pilot has four core objectives: improving operational performance through real-time data sharing to reduce vessel waiting times and optimise berth planning, and measuring and reducing GHG emissions, with CO2, NOₓ and SOₓ figures quantified per vessel call and benchmarked against a pre-project baseline.
It also aims to build local staff capacity through dedicated training for port personnel at Walvis Bay and Lüderitz, and to assess scalability for wider adoption across other African and developing-country ports.
For more information:
Prodevelop – https://www.prodevelop.es/en/
