KLAIPĖDA, Lithuania — 09 September 2026: An apparently small addition to the Baltic Sea is to help improve one of the most active maritime gateways in Lithuania. With the commencement of operations of a smart navigation buoy with advanced sensors, the Port of Klaipeda is now obtaining real-time intelligence to make vessels’ movements safer, easier, and more resilient.
The device is located about four nautical miles away from the entrance of Klaipeda Port but is much more innovative than the traditional navigation mark. It gauges wave height, wave direction and period, current speed and direction, temperature of water and air, atmospheric pressure, and GPS signal issues and transmits the data to the coastal station.
The GPS functionality might therefore be crucial. If a vessel heading to the port comes across GPS interference, the buoy will provide a reliable reference point to take the ship closer to the area where the preparations for entering the port will take place. Thanks to equipment that operates regardless of the signals that are lost, pilots on board ships will be able to proceed with navigation towards the port after taking charge.
Klaipeda aims to collect much more than just this data. Measuring data is already being sent to the data centre of the Port Authority, and the partner organisation, MOVEO MC Baltics, is expected to use the data to come up with a machine learning-based algorithm for hydrometeorological forecasting. The algorithm will use real-time data along with historical databases to increase the accuracy of forecasts regarding the port and the waters surrounding it.
The possible benefit does not just stop at navigation. With more precise predictions, operators may be able to make immediate adjustments to logistics programmes, manage ship arrivals with greater flexibility, and improve cargo and transportation flow—an essential aspect of ports that handle vast quantities of cargo. For example, in 2025, Klaipėda processed about 39 million tonnes of cargo (1,308,687 TEUs) and recorded over 5314 port calls.
The buoy is part of the MOVEO project, financed by European Horizon Europe, with a total budget of approximately $6.676 million and testing 18 innovations in demonstration locations in Switzerland, Italy, France and Lithuania. Klaipėda has received about $460,600 for the project, with 70% (around $322,400) of the funding coming from the project itself.
So, what looks like just one buoy today may grow into something much bigger in the future—data-based maritime technologies, where the weather conditions, navigation, artificial intelligence and logistics will be used before the ship reaches the port.
