Digitalisation continues to reshape maritime operations, and the need for reliable, standardised and trusted information exchange is growing fast. One of the goals of the NELSON project is to enable interoperable maritime services that support safer navigation, more efficient traffic management and future-ready operations. S-100 services and Maritime Connectivity Platform (MCP) are key enablers in this context.

NELSON is a €15 million EU co-funded project that brought together 10 partners from Finland, Sweden and Spain. The project has had a somewhat eventful beginning: since September 2025, 14 milestones have been completed, and numerous events and info sessions have been held to inform and involve project stakeholders.

Starting 1 February 2026, a pilot phase of a new departure permission procedure will be launched at the Port of Hanko. With the procedure, Fintraffic’s Vessel Traffic Services and the Port of Hanko will ensure smooth and safe traffic as traffic volumes increase in the Port of Hanko’s harbours.

A harmonised operating model is being developed for Finnish coastal merchant fairways, further securing the flow of special transports with safety zones. The new safety zones will be introduced at the beginning of January for designated Tornio and HaminaKotka fairways used by LNG tankers.

The Port of Kokkola is a long-term user of Fintraffic’s D/S POLO service, which handles pier planning, crane reservations, and service orders, among others. Now, the service expands to rail planning, ensuring safe and smooth shunting on the private track and rail capacity management.

The objectives of Fintraffic’s Air Navigation Services for 2026 focus on legal compliance, digitalisation of aviation, and promoting staff well-being and competencies.

The NELSON project hosted its stakeholder conference International Cooperation and Digitalisation in Maritime on 25 November 2025. The event brought together a wide range of perspectives on maritime digitalisation—from international cooperation and port digitalisation to e-navigation, remote pilotage and the future skills needed in our evolving ecosystem.

Welcome to the first stakeholder seminar of the NELSON project! The event will take place on 25 November 2025 from 9:00 to 12:00 at Studio Uusikumpu (Vuoritontuntie 22, 02200 Espoo).

Fintraffic VTS is actively contributing to the developing of future of maritime services through the MaDaMe and ORMOBASS projects, co-funded by the EU’s Interreg Baltic Sea Region programme. After two years of development and testing, it is time to share our first results and discuss new services and opportunities together with maritime industry stakeholders.