The Southern Tyrrhenian and Ionian Sea Port System Authority has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Gioia Tauro, granting two latest-generation remotely piloted aircraft systems on exclusive loan for port surveillance and security operations.
The loan for use agreement covers a five-year term with the possibility of extension and includes the full complement of accessories as well as specialised training for personnel involved in drone flight and data acquisition.
The drones will be deployed exclusively by the Gioia Tauro Guardia di Finanza Group for the monitoring and control of the port area, reinforcing an anti-trafficking operation that has already produced significant results in combating organised crime and illicit trade flows through the port.
The initiative forms part of the Gioia Sicura project, a broader integrated security programme for the productive logistics areas of the Southern Tyrrhenian and Ionian Sea Port System Authority, funded under the PON Legalità programme with a total allocation of EUR€18.2 million.
The project encompasses digital transformation of administrative and management processes across the authority’s ports, and complements the recently secured EUR€2 million government grant for the development of a 5G private network and related high-technology infrastructure at Gioia Tauro.
Taken together, the drone deployment and the digital infrastructure investments reflect a coherent strategy by the port authority to strengthen both physical security and technological capability at one of the Mediterranean’s principal transshipment hubs.
