Remote pilotage is one of the core focus areas of the NELSON project. By exploring how pilotage services can be supported or partially delivered remotely using advanced digital tools, situational awareness systems, and secure communication links, NELSON aims to improve flexibility in maritime operations and to support adoption of remote pilotage.

The NELSON project is not driven by technological development alone. While the project work is coordinated and delivered by 10 consortium partners, the achievement of its objectives relies on close collaboration with a broad range of external stakeholders. Their involvement ensures that the project outcomes are realistic, relevant, and aligned with real-world maritime operations.

How can digital tools support greener and more efficient port operations? These questions will be explored at an event in Pori on 31 March 2026. Sustainable Flow project will present key results from its work on digital solutions for sustainable port operations.

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.

Fintraffic's Air Navigation Services aims to continuously improve the flow and predictability of its services with customers in mind. For this reason, the customer satisfaction survey, which was carried out in a similar way for years, has undergone a complete overhaul this year.