Project description
A closer look at short sea shipping
Short sea shipping (SSS), which is the movement of cargo and passengers by sea between ports in geographical Europe, has environmental and economic benefits over traditional modes of transport. It contributes to the integration, cohesion and economic development of the EU’s peripheral regions. In this context, the EU-funded SEAMLESS project will develop an automated and cost-effective waterborne freight feeder service for SSS and inland waterways transport. This involves autonomous systems to shift road freight movements to waterways and enhance the trans-European transport network. The project will demonstrate the full-scale implementation of the service in real-world scenarios, evaluate sustainability and develop novel business models. It will also identify regulatory gaps and provide recommendations for policymakers.
Objective
SEAMLESS aims at developing and adapting missing building blocks and enablers into a fully automated, economically viable, cost-effective, and resilient waterborne freight feeder loop service for Short Sea Shipping (SSS) and/or Inland Waterways Transport (IWT). Autonomous systems will be integrated to ensure safe, resilient, efficient, and environmentally friendly operation to shift road freight movements to hinterland waterways, while enhancing the performance of the TEN-T network. The service will be delivered 24/7 by a fleet of autonomous cargo shuttles, with humans-in-the-loop located in Remote Operation Centres (ROCs), which efficiently cooperate with automated and autonomous shore-side infrastructure and safely interact with conventional systems. The services will rely on a redesigned logistics system enabling seamless freight flows by minimising delays at intermodal nodes. A digital bird’s eye view of the supply chain allows the exploitation of real-time information for planning optimisation and reconfiguration to support resilient logistics, incl. digitalised administrative procedures. The SEAMLESS building blocks will be verified and validated by conducting full-scale demonstrations in selected real-world scenarios. Transferability will be fully demonstrated in selected use cases that cover a wide range of transport applications and geographical regions throughout Europe. Based on a structured methodological framework evaluating sustainability criteria, they will act as guidance for the replication of the project results beyond the project scope and timespan. Novel business models will be thus developed and provide a framework for implementing the SEAMLESS service to minimise investment risk for first movers. Regulatory gaps and challenges related to autonomous vessel operation (e.g. social aspects) will be identified, and recommendations for policy makers to allow the smooth and safe deployment of fully automated services will be provided.
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
157 80 ATHINA
Greece
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Participants (31)
2628 CN Delft
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5006 Bergen
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1210 Saint-Josse-Ten-Node
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2950 Kapellen
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
7052 Trondheim
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00189 Roma
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Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
00189 Roma
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
7491 Trondheim
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20780 Kaarina
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Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
33710 Tampere
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Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
400 40 Goteborg
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28359 Bremen
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91120 Palaiseau
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
46024 Valencia
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47119 Duisburg
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47057 Duisburg
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
62408 Bethune
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Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
76000 Rouen
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
3083 Limassol
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
3187 Horten
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1200 Bruxelles / Brussel
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800098 GALATI
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2030 Antwerpen
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Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
2030 Antwerpen
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11000 Belgrade
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3605 KONGSBERG
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Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
26101 Rauma
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92400 COURBEVOIE
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20520 Turku
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
18538 Piraeus
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4636 KRISTIANSAND S
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