The ILIAD project promotes the early detection of invasive species in ballast water

As part of the project, the Valenciaport Foundation has developed a pilot program in the Port of Sagunto focused on validating techniques based on environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect these invasive alien species

The results confirm the usefulness of this methodology for strengthening environmental protection in ports

Valencia, 20th October 2025. – Fundación Valenciaport has recently completed its participation in the European ILIAD project, an initiative focused on the development of a Digital Twin of the Ocean, a real-time virtual representation that integrates data from sensors, satellites, and numerical models.

In addition to contributing to the European Green Deal, the EU Digital Strategy, and the Sustainable Development Goals related to the oceans, the initiative’s objective was precisely to develop this Digital Twin, which can be used to simulate and predict the evolution of the ocean, facilitating the sustainable management of the marine environment.

Within this framework, the Fundación Valenciaport has developed a pilot project in the Port of Sagunto to evaluate the application of environmental DNA (eDNA) in the early detection of invasive alien species transported in ships’ ballast water.

Environmental DNA is a technique that allows the presence of organisms to be detected from small genetic traces—such as cells, mucus, or tissue fragments—present in water, without the need to capture or see them directly.

During the pilot, ballast water and seawater samples were collected and analyzed, comparing the results obtained through conventional analysis with those provided by the eDNA technique. The tests demonstrated that this approach can more quickly and accurately identify the presence of non-native species, allowing for preventive action and reducing the risk of introducing invasive organisms into port ecosystems.

These results highlight the potential of eDNA as a complementary tool for environmental management in ports, reinforcing the sustainability of their operations and the protection of marine biodiversity.

The project, led by Intrasoft International and in which Fundación Valenciaport has actively participated, has involved more than 50 European entities and had a total budget of €17 million, co-financed by the Horizon 2020 program of the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA).