The complex structure of ports, with several operators and the challenges arising from this, underscores the importance of this initiative. Ports are critical nodes in transportation networks, making security a paramount concern. VTT and Oulu Port are collaborating with 20 other entities, including technology providers and universities, to improve the security and resilience in ports.

The total budget for the international research and development project is €12.8 million. The project is funded by the participating organisations, foreign public research funders, and Business Finland. The project focuses on developing a secure situational awareness concept that enhances trust and security by building autonomous resilience into the system. This contributes towards ensuring that the port can recover from incidents and lower the risks for various digital and physical attacks.

"In today's world, where hostile events are constantly unfolding, the emphasis on secure situational awareness has never been greater. Ensuring digital trust and security for the protection of critical cyber-physical systems, along with fostering situational awareness, appears to be an effective way to build resilience. The port serves as an excellent testing ground, mirroring a miniature society with its diverse and complex operations," Principal Scientist and project lead Juhani Latvakoski from VTT says.

A key role in the project is played by the Port of Oulu, which is already at the forefront of digitising port operations and has taken an active role in researching and applying the latest technical solutions. Situation and condition data from the port area is critical for the entire port ecosystem and its stakeholders.

The port is responsible for ensuring the safety and smooth flow of traffic in the area. Since 90% of Finland's exports pass through ports, the project is also important for the supply chains in Northern Finland.

“We are developing a digital twin of the port area using various sensors, detectors, and radars. Additionally, innovative tracking and identification systems for port area traffic are of particular interest. New technologies provide opportunities, but a current challenge is that they primarily operate as separate applications. In this project, our goal is to create a comprehensive situational overview, particularly for managing safety and critical incidents,” Soila Riutta Development Manager at Oulu Port says.

Ambitious objectives and targeted benefits

The ambitious objective of the international R&D project led by VTT is to research and develop novel solutions enabling secure situational awareness that can be applied to improve security and resilience in various critical cyber-physical systems such as Oulu port.

“Unexpected events – such as accidents or physical and virtual attacks – can threaten the resilience of critical systems. These may result in blocked access to essential functions and resources, misuse of critical data, compromised physical safety, and lack of vital resources, which may cause fatalities, bankruptcies and even societal instability. Therefore, the project aims to develop secure situational awareness solutions, which are very important for critical logistics, mobility, energy, and security systems operating, e.g., in ports,” Juhani Latvakoski from VTT says.

The participating companies are conducting research and developing their own products and solutions, with the opportunity to pilot them and test their compatibility with other systems within the port area. The goal is to identify export-ready products and systems while enhancing collaboration between companies and supporting their international growth.

"The project is an important part of developing the port's security and resilience. We are excited to collaborate with leading technology providers to develop innovative solutions that will benefit all stakeholders," Soila Riutta concludes.

Sa4CPS is a collaborative project under the ITEA framework, that facilitates international collaboration among various organisations to drive software innovation and digital transition. The consortium for the Sa4CPS project is led by VTT and comprised of a diverse and highly networked collaborative group of 20 organisations from 5 countries, including 15 companies (ADC, ADLC, Alpata, CRL, Digitalmente, Enerim, Erarge, F-Secure, Inovasyon, IMA, Modirum, Natlink, Otokar, Polar and Vintecc), 4 research organisations (Charles University, ISEP, Sirris, VTT), and Port of Oulu. The project focuses on 8 concrete use cases, and the Port of Oulu plays a critical cross-sectorial role, bringing in practical application needs and a testing ground to the initiative.

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