The challenge
Porto Antico Genova is one of the most iconic recreational marinas in the Mediterranean — a landmark facility in a high-traffic commercial harbour context. Despite its reputation, the marina faced the same operational friction common across Mediterranean ports: repetitive skipper enquiries before arrival, manual processes for berth assignment, and no structured way to communicate real-time information to guests.
Staff were spending a significant share of their working day answering the same questions over and over — by phone, by radio, at the reception desk. The information existed; the problem was access.
The HarbourMate approach
Porto Antico Genova activated HarbourMate in two phases from September 2024. Phase 1 — the Digital Map — went live in under 10 days, with no modifications to existing IT infrastructure. The harbour was fully georeferenced: berths, pontoons, service columns, depth data and approach channels mapped at centimetre precision.
Phase 2 — the Berthing Guide — followed immediately. Every berth received a unique SkipperLink: a token-secured URL that the dockmaster sends to the skipper at booking confirmation. No app download. No login. The guest opens the link in any browser and sees their exact berth on the map, with full berthing data — depth, manoeuvring clearance, VHF channel and approach route.
Results — first season
The impact was measurable from the first season of operation. Staff interactions related to arrival and berthing information for new customers dropped by 20%. Berthing times — from the moment the skipper enters the harbour to final mooring — decreased by 15%, thanks to the ability to prepare in advance and brief the crew on the upcoming manoeuvre. Both KPIs were tracked directly from operational logs and dockside staff records.
The reduction in repetitive enquiries freed staff capacity for higher-value activities: guest relations, safety monitoring, and proactive harbour management.
Technical deployment
The entire deployment — georeferencing, data entry, SkipperLink activation and staff training — was completed in 10 calendar days. Zero modifications were made to the marina’s existing Property Management System or IT infrastructure. Integration was read-only via API, as defined contractually.
The Digital Map can be embedded — entirely at the discretion of the harbour management — as an iFrame in the marina’s public website, and updates in real time for every change made autonomously on the system (e.g. new service icons).