The EU co-funded NELSON project has reached its first anniversary. As expected, the first year has focused largely on planning and preparations to establish a solid foundation for the work ahead. At the same time, several activities have now moved into the implementation phase, marking an important transition from planning to delivery.

As part of the NELSON project, the functionality of a ship reporting portal developed by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) over several years was put to the test in Europe-wide operational trials. The tests support NELSON’s work to integrate EMSA’s Integrated Reports Distribution (IRD) platform into national reporting systems in Finland and Sweden—and thereby advancing the digitalisation of maritime reporting.

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.

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.