AUTOSHIP – Autonomous Shipping Initiative for European Waters – aims at speeding-up the transition towards a next generation of autonomous ships in EU.
Europe is effectively supporting new paradigms of multimodal transport to develop sustainable businesses and relieve roads congestion and related pollution. Since 2001, the concept of a Motorway of the Sea (MoS) has been developed. At its base, there is a new intermodal maritime-based logistics chain in Europe and EU target is to shift 30% of road freight of more than 300 km to multimodal solutions by 2030 (corresponding to 216 bn tonne-kilometres), and more than 50% by 2050, compared with business as usual developments. However, its capacity in this scenario is not keeping the pace yet and it needs improvement. In fact, coastal short-sea shipping and inland waterways struggle with competition from trucks in many parts of Europe and are losing relative market shares to road transport.
AUTOSHIP responds to the call topic MG 3.2-2018 by joining a whole necessary value-chain of global players to define, enhance and test in real environment a Next Generation of Autonomous Ships, integrating evolutionary as well as novel technologies. Building on partners’ advanced technologies and know-how, the proposed vessels will upgrade them and dramatically impact on businesses and competitiveness. In the meantime, the framework to make NGAS navigation possible and socially accepted will be better assessed with direct engagement of relevant authorities.
The project’s ambitions will leverage on advanced Key Enabling Technologies, solid industrial investments and business worldwide, along with participation in all major stakeholders’ organisations to deliver the first technology on the market in a short term. It is an ambition with a solid base in the involved value-chain and in the financial and commercial commitment, which makes AUTOSHIP a real market-oriented project.
The AUTOSHIP consortium is composed of 10 experienced partners with proved capability to develop and achieve the aims of the project covering a wide geographical representation from 5 European countries. The needed multidisciplinary roles were perfectly considered when the consortium was assembled, covering the essential parts of the developments (KET development,testing, manufacturing, environmental/cost/social life cycle analysis, logistics).
