From 19 to 21 February 2026, the OVERHEAT project carried out a joint validation exercise focused on UAV-supported containership inspection for port safety operations. The activities were conducted at the Italian Maritime Academy Technology (IMAT) Training Center and Wärtsilä Simulation Complex in Italy, together with the Łukasiewicz Institute of Aviation (ILOT) ESIM (Engineering Simulator) facility in Poland. The pilot involved IMAT, ILOT and Peopletrust.
The Polish use case focused on validating a specialized UAV system designed to inspect containerships before entering port areas. The exercise was based on a digital twin of the Port of Gdynia, allowing partners to simulate realistic operational scenarios involving vessels approaching the harbor and undergoing inspection before docking procedures.
The objective of the simulation was to evaluate whether UAV technologies could support the early detection of onboard anomalies, including potential fire and temperature risks, before vessels enter the port. The simulations analysed multiple technical and operational dimensions, including drone flight-path planning, vessel approach procedures, inspection execution, environmental conditions, and decision-making based on sensor data.
The pilot included the simulation of inspection missions in which drones were launched from docking stations and directed towards vessels waiting in anchorage areas. Once reaching the target, the UAVs performed inspection flights around the vessel using predefined trajectories while collecting RGB and infrared imagery to identify possible anomalies in cargo conditions.
An important innovation of the pilot was the use of simulation-driven operational planning combined with UAV technologies and digital twin environments. The exercise also evaluated drone battery performance under different operational conditions, including varying distances, wind speeds, and weather scenarios. Results confirmed that the UAV systems were able to complete inspection missions safely within operational ranges between 500 and 5000 meters while maintaining sufficient battery reserves for safe return operations.
The pilot demonstrated the strong potential of UAV technologies as early-warning tools for maritime safety and port protection. The proposed solution can help identify fire or temperature anomalies before vessels enter the harbor, enabling faster mitigation actions, improving situational awareness, and supporting safer and more efficient port operations
