Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PIONEERS (PORTable Innovation Open Network for Efficiency and Emissions Reduction Solutions)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-10-01 bis 2023-03-31
PIONEERS addresses the challenges faced by European ports to reduce their environmental impact while remaining competitive in a sector characterised by continuous growth. These challenges are aligned with the European Green Deal’s main objective to make Europe climate neutral by 2050. In order to accomplish the PIONEERS’s strategic goal and vision, a set of five objectives have been defined:
1. Reduce the port's total environmental footprint by introducing Clean energy, production, storage and supply
The European Ports have the potential to become key points of energy production based on renewable energy sources, benefiting the energy portfolio of the area while deriving the benefits as energy users. PIONEERS will play a key role by creating several solutions to reach this objective.
2. Deploy sustainable port infrastructure beyond energy supply and demand
Port operations require significant infrastructure that affects beyond energy supply, storage, and demand. This objective will enable the European ports to introduce alternative fuels for their yard vehicles, reduce the environmental impact of port infrastructure, promote effective and green land use, and provide the means for continuous improvement towards achieving climate neutrality.
3. Introduce eco-friendly improvements relying on digitalisation and new methods of operation
Modern ports have evolved into multimodal hubs and logistics nodes connecting maritime with road, rail, and inland waterways flows. PIONEERS will demonstrate highly efficient logistics operations for integrated sea/river-port hinterland connections through several demonstrations that enable modal shifts and system-wide door-to-door multimodal passenger mobility and freight transport.
4. Co-define and transfer PIONEERS' demonstrations to fellow ports during the project lifecycle
By developing collaboration networks and public-private partnerships, the focus will be on defining, adopting, and deploying a selection of project demos at the fellow European ports during the project lifecycle. Therefore, PIONEERS will define a framework for co-definition and execution of the 19 demonstrations conducted and co-transfer and scale them up at fellow ports and beyond.
5. Deliver and disseminate a Port Master Plan for the transition towards GHG neutral shipping and wider multimodal mobility by 2050
A Green Port Roadmap, defined by PIONEERS, will be adopted in order to adjust the Master Plans of the 4 participating European ports during the project lifecycle. Moreover, it will also recommend updates for local port Master Plans by proposing feasible alternatives with the highest emission reduction potential, taking into consideration governance, operational and legal frameworks, business models and financial viability. The Green Port Roadmap will be publicly available and disseminated through the engagement of the community, as well as through the available dissemination channels and liaising with related projects.
1. Reduce the port's total environmental footprint by introducing Clean energy, production, storage and supply
The European Ports have the potential to become key points of energy production based on renewable energy sources, benefiting the energy portfolio of the area while deriving the benefits as energy users. PIONEERS will play a key role by creating several solutions to reach this objective.
2. Deploy sustainable port infrastructure beyond energy supply and demand
Port operations require significant infrastructure that affects beyond energy supply, storage, and demand. This objective will enable the European ports to introduce alternative fuels for their yard vehicles, reduce the environmental impact of port infrastructure, promote effective and green land use, and provide the means for continuous improvement towards achieving climate neutrality.
3. Introduce eco-friendly improvements relying on digitalisation and new methods of operation
Modern ports have evolved into multimodal hubs and logistics nodes connecting maritime with road, rail, and inland waterways flows. PIONEERS will demonstrate highly efficient logistics operations for integrated sea/river-port hinterland connections through several demonstrations that enable modal shifts and system-wide door-to-door multimodal passenger mobility and freight transport.
4. Co-define and transfer PIONEERS' demonstrations to fellow ports during the project lifecycle
By developing collaboration networks and public-private partnerships, the focus will be on defining, adopting, and deploying a selection of project demos at the fellow European ports during the project lifecycle. Therefore, PIONEERS will define a framework for co-definition and execution of the 19 demonstrations conducted and co-transfer and scale them up at fellow ports and beyond.
5. Deliver and disseminate a Port Master Plan for the transition towards GHG neutral shipping and wider multimodal mobility by 2050
A Green Port Roadmap, defined by PIONEERS, will be adopted in order to adjust the Master Plans of the 4 participating European ports during the project lifecycle. Moreover, it will also recommend updates for local port Master Plans by proposing feasible alternatives with the highest emission reduction potential, taking into consideration governance, operational and legal frameworks, business models and financial viability. The Green Port Roadmap will be publicly available and disseminated through the engagement of the community, as well as through the available dissemination channels and liaising with related projects.
Over the first 18 months of the project, solid foundations were established, including a governance structure to facilitate collaboration and synergies across all 12 work packages. From the project's inception, significant effort has been devoted to building a strong community. This involves engaging all consortium partners and fostering commitment internally, as well as connecting externally with other ports, EU projects, and organizations.
WP1 initiated the innovation scouting process by gathering information for ports through various channels. Sessions were conducted to introduce PIONEERS demonstrations, and the information collected was utilized to create an initial mock-up of the PORTfolio of PORTable innovations. This online documentation showcases all green port innovations aimed at different stakeholders. D1.1 - Innovation assessment results of year 1 was submitted in month 12 of the project duration.
WP2 organized several intervision meetings involving the four ports and WP2 partners to discuss tailored Master Plans for the ports. Deliverable D2.1 which presents the state of the art of Green Port Master Planning, was submitted in month 6. D2.2 focusing on port stakeholder mapping, was submitted in month 18, and D2.3 including a plan for engaging with key stakeholders in 2023, was submitted in month 16. WP2 has established integration with other WPs, such as incorporating innovative thinking from WP1 and addressing non-technological barriers from WP4-7. Alignment has also been established with the Green Port Master Planning activities of MAGPIE.
WP3 conducted extensive desk research and a survey to identify the current state of the art, existing gaps, and challenges/enablers/barriers faced by ports in their efforts to become environmentally-friendly (D3.1). Stakeholder workshops were carried out in each of the four PIONEERS Ports within the first four months of the project, and the Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM) template was created (D3.2). WP3 led the creation of scoping documents for the 19 demonstrations, documented in D3.4-D3.7.
WP4-7: all four demo work packages (WP4-7) have commenced, implementing 19 demonstrations in one of the four ports. A framework was jointly defined with the other demo WPs to manage the overarching task of identifying all the technological and non-technological aspects necessary for fully adopting the lighthouse achievements. Alignment has been established with WP2 (Green Ports Master Plan) and WP9 (Impact Assessment).
WP8 developed a framework empowering the lighthouse and fellow ports to collaborate on the co-definition and co-transfer processes. This anticipates significant impact on their business ecosystems, transforming innovations into transferable solutions (D8.1).
WP9 conducted several surveys to gather information from the demo leaders. The detailed requirements for the assessment method (D9.1) were finalized, taking into account political, technological, social, and economic aspects by month 14.
WP10 provided a communication and dissemination strategy plan (D10.1) along with tools to engage stakeholders and ensure immediate contribution to the widespread adoption of PIONEERS solutions. Through WP10, PIONEERS is represented in various events and conferences to create visibility for the project. There is also intensive collaboration with the Green Deal sister project MAGPIE and other projects from the EU Green Deal call.
WP1 initiated the innovation scouting process by gathering information for ports through various channels. Sessions were conducted to introduce PIONEERS demonstrations, and the information collected was utilized to create an initial mock-up of the PORTfolio of PORTable innovations. This online documentation showcases all green port innovations aimed at different stakeholders. D1.1 - Innovation assessment results of year 1 was submitted in month 12 of the project duration.
WP2 organized several intervision meetings involving the four ports and WP2 partners to discuss tailored Master Plans for the ports. Deliverable D2.1 which presents the state of the art of Green Port Master Planning, was submitted in month 6. D2.2 focusing on port stakeholder mapping, was submitted in month 18, and D2.3 including a plan for engaging with key stakeholders in 2023, was submitted in month 16. WP2 has established integration with other WPs, such as incorporating innovative thinking from WP1 and addressing non-technological barriers from WP4-7. Alignment has also been established with the Green Port Master Planning activities of MAGPIE.
WP3 conducted extensive desk research and a survey to identify the current state of the art, existing gaps, and challenges/enablers/barriers faced by ports in their efforts to become environmentally-friendly (D3.1). Stakeholder workshops were carried out in each of the four PIONEERS Ports within the first four months of the project, and the Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM) template was created (D3.2). WP3 led the creation of scoping documents for the 19 demonstrations, documented in D3.4-D3.7.
WP4-7: all four demo work packages (WP4-7) have commenced, implementing 19 demonstrations in one of the four ports. A framework was jointly defined with the other demo WPs to manage the overarching task of identifying all the technological and non-technological aspects necessary for fully adopting the lighthouse achievements. Alignment has been established with WP2 (Green Ports Master Plan) and WP9 (Impact Assessment).
WP8 developed a framework empowering the lighthouse and fellow ports to collaborate on the co-definition and co-transfer processes. This anticipates significant impact on their business ecosystems, transforming innovations into transferable solutions (D8.1).
WP9 conducted several surveys to gather information from the demo leaders. The detailed requirements for the assessment method (D9.1) were finalized, taking into account political, technological, social, and economic aspects by month 14.
WP10 provided a communication and dissemination strategy plan (D10.1) along with tools to engage stakeholders and ensure immediate contribution to the widespread adoption of PIONEERS solutions. Through WP10, PIONEERS is represented in various events and conferences to create visibility for the project. There is also intensive collaboration with the Green Deal sister project MAGPIE and other projects from the EU Green Deal call.
Strategic impact in relation to the work programme
The EU is highly dependent on seaports both for worldwide trade and within its internal market since 74% of goods imported and exported and 37% of exchanges within the EU transit through seaports. In the last decade, the EC has stressed the urgency to decarbonize and improve environmental performance as can be seen in the Union's 20/20/20 Objectives. Ports are becoming increasingly dependent on technological innovations both to improve traditional port operations and as major logistics nodes seeking to provide seamless and highly efficient logistics services. PIONEERS provides significant, direct and immediate contribution to the achievement of the European Green Deal, as well as other EU transport policy objectives (including TEN-T), while strengthening the competitiveness of the European transport sector by implementing four pillars via the deployment of 19 demos:
Clean energy production, storage and supply
Sustainable Port Design
Modal shift and flows optimisation
Digital transformation
The EU is highly dependent on seaports both for worldwide trade and within its internal market since 74% of goods imported and exported and 37% of exchanges within the EU transit through seaports. In the last decade, the EC has stressed the urgency to decarbonize and improve environmental performance as can be seen in the Union's 20/20/20 Objectives. Ports are becoming increasingly dependent on technological innovations both to improve traditional port operations and as major logistics nodes seeking to provide seamless and highly efficient logistics services. PIONEERS provides significant, direct and immediate contribution to the achievement of the European Green Deal, as well as other EU transport policy objectives (including TEN-T), while strengthening the competitiveness of the European transport sector by implementing four pillars via the deployment of 19 demos:
Clean energy production, storage and supply
Sustainable Port Design
Modal shift and flows optimisation
Digital transformation