EUROPEAN MARITIME TRANSPORT POLICY AND RESEARCH PRIORITIES

IAME 2011 conference

SANTIAGO DE CHILE, THE 25th – 28th of OCTOBER 2011 – www.iame2011.org

EUROPEAN MARITIME TRANSPORT POLICY AND RESEARCH PRIORITIES

LEFTERIS SDOUKOPOULOS

Affiliation: Research Associate, Hellenic Institute of Transport Address: ARKAT Building, Mesogeion Avenue 357-359, Postal Code: 15231,

Chalandri, Athens, Greece Email: [email protected]

Phone: +30 210 650 1747 Fax: +30 210 653 3031

MARIA BOILE

Affiliation: Research Director, Hellenic Institute of Transport Address: ARKAT Building, Mesogeion Avenue 357-359, Postal Code: 15231,

Chalandri, Athens, Greece Email: [email protected]

Phone: +30 210 650 1715 Fax: +30 210 653 3031

ELIZA GAGATSI

Affiliation: Research Associate, Hellenic Institute of Transport Address: 6th km Charilaou-Thermi Rd, Postal Code: 57001, Thermi,

Thessaloniki, Greece Email: [email protected] Phone: +30 2310 498 464

Fax: +30 2310 498 269

IAME 2011 conference


Abstract

Maritime transport has been a contributing factor to the European Union's economic success representing a major industry sector with direct impact on job creation and quality of life. Today, almost 90% of the EU external trade is seaborne, short sea shipping represents 40% of intra-EU exchanges (in ton-km), and more than 400 million passengers pass through European ports each year.

Having recognized the importance of maritime transport, the EC, over the past decades, has developed a series of initiatives and actions, and set a policy framework aiming to support the European maritime shipping. Part of the policies set by the EC to support its maritime transport sector, involve a series of actions focusing on the development of research activities mainly through initiatives such as the Framework Programmes (FP). From the 5th Framework Programme in 1998, to the initiation of the European Research Area (ERA) in 2000 and the recent calls of the 7th Framework Programme, Europe has been strengthening its support to maritime transport research.

This paper aims to present an overview of the maritime transport research priorities set by the EC, mirrored through a series of research initiatives. The key objective is to examine the extent to which the EU funded research projects managed to fulfil the requirements set by the EC through its Framework Programmes, and investigate the level of implementation of the project results by the industry.

The paper attempts to answer questions such as: What are the main results of the EC research related to key areas of maritime transport such as competitiveness, safety & security, environment, energy and human resources? What is the view of the industry regarding the outputs of more than one decade of research work and what is the actual implementation of this research effort’s outcome?

Keywords

Maritime transport research, research priorities, maritime transport policy


EUROPEAN MARITIME TRANSPORT POLICY AND RESEARCH PRIORITIES

Introduction

With over 80% of world trade being carried by sea, maritime transport remains the backbone of international trade. In the EU, almost 90% of the external trade is seaborne while short sea shipping represents 40% of intra-European freight exchanges (in ton-kilometres), making maritime transport a key contributing factor to economic success and prosperity. With more than 400 million passengers passing through European ports each year (as tourists or inhabitants of islands and peripheral regions), maritime transport has also a direct impact on the quality of life of European citizens1.

International trade is anticipated to continue to grow in the near future, despite the current financial crisis and other challenges facing the maritime transport industry. It is important that the maritime transport system remains competitive and delivers its promised advantages and efficiencies. To this end, the European Commission (EC) has been consistently providing support, by setting a policy framework and developing a series of actions focusing on the development of research activities mainly through initiatives such as the Framework Programmes (FPs). Adoption of the outcomes and technological products of these activities by the maritime industry assists in achieving the goals set by the EC. Figure 1 shows the main steps of this process, which is followed in setting research priorities to meet policy objectives.

Figure 1: How policy objectives are turned into specific research outcomes to be uptaken by the industry

The scope of this paper is to provide an overview of the main maritime transport

related policy objectives that have been set at a European level and assess the extent to which these objectives have been addressed by the EU research projects over the past decade. Furthermore, the level of the project results implementation by the industry is investigated and assessed. To achieve these objectives we build upon the findings of the MARPOS project (MARitime POlicy Support), an EU FP7 co-funded research project.

1 http://ec.europa.eu/transport/maritime/index_en.htm


MARPOS aimed to assist the European Commission in the implementation of the EU Maritime Transport Policy priorities by thoroughly analyzing the results of past research work in the field of Maritime Transport and identifying the fields in which further research is needed.

Maritime policy priorities

An appropriate policy framework is needed to ensure the continuous performance of

the EU maritime transport system and its contribution to the recovery of the world economy. This is reflected in the broader context of the EU Transport Policy2 (‘Keep Europe moving: a transport policy for sustainable mobility’) and the EU Integrated Maritime Policy3 (the ‘Blue Paper’). Emphasis is placed on retaining human and technological know-how, and serving the sustainability and competitiveness of shipping operations4. Drawing from these key documents, the main strategic goals for the European maritime transport system and the key areas where action by the EU will strengthen the competitiveness of the sector while enhancing its environmental performance may be summarized to the following:

1. Develop and maintain an attractive framework for quality shipping and quality of operations in Europe including financial measures strengthening the competitiveness of European shipping

2. Invest in human capital by making maritime professions more attractive to young people and thus improving employment of seafarers

3. Promote greener maritime transport

4. Give priority to the enforcement of existing Community and International rules that will lead to a safe and secure system

5. Support EU energy security

6. Promote short sea connections between all maritime regions of the European continent, addressing the road congestion problems while reducing significantly the environmental impact of the overall transport chain.

7. Improve Europe’s commercial sea ports

8. Strengthen the competitiveness of the European maritime industries and their capacity to meet the environmental, energy, safety and human challenges by supporting research and innovation development

The European Union and its Member States have a strong interest in promoting: (i) safe, secure and efficient intra-European and international shipping on clean oceans and seas, (ii) the long-term competitiveness of European shipping and related maritime industries in world markets, and (iii) the adaptation of the entire seaborne transport system to the challenges of the 21st century.

The above strategic goals have been translated, through the Framework Programmes (FPs), into series of actions leading to various research project activities, as these are analyzed in the following sections.

2 COM (2006) 314 final of 22.06.2006 3 COM (2007) 575 final, 10.10.2007 4 COM (2009) 8 final, 21.1.2009


Overview of key Maritime Transport Research Priorities set in the 5th, 6th and 7th Framework Programme.

Taking into consideration the strategic goals for the European maritime transport sector, as described in the previous section, policy priorities have been classified around five (5) themes, namely competitiveness, energy, environment, human factors and safety & security issues. Over the past decade, these five themes have been widely introduced, through various research topics, in the work programmes of the 5th, 6th and 7th Framework Programmes and several research projects have been funded producing valuable research outcomes. Maritime transport research, throughout these three FPs, has evolved and changed its character, with an early focus on the transport technology means in FP5, to the establishment of the European Research Area (ERA), which aimed to address various challenges, including the reduction of energy consumption, increase of maritime security, resource efficiency, and introduction of environmentally friendly production methods and technologies. The evolution and continuity of maritime transport research is depicted in the following table, which summarizes the key socio-economic drivers set in the 5th, 6th and 7th Framework Programmes.

Table 1: Socio-economic drivers for maritime transport research introduced in the last three FPs

Source: Compilation of information from the FP5, FP6 and FP7 Work Programmes (Europa)


Relevant topics on maritime transport research and technological development were included in Key Action 3 ("Land Transport and Marine Technologies") of FP5 and the "Sustainable Surface Transport" priority of FP6 and FP7. Despite all differences in the Work Programmes of the three FPs and even though the specific research topics and targets changed over time, a certain continuity of the objectives and research priorities regarding the five (5) maritime transport themes exists, as shown in Table 1. The general context of these themes may be described as follows:

Competitiveness Competitiveness of maritime transport concerns the ability to ensure sustainable,

efficient and affordable transport services. Strengthening the competitiveness of the maritime transport sector has been a key research priority in all three FPs, aiming to introduce innovative and improved services and systems to meet the demand requirements and provide adequate capital return for the maritime transport actors. Furthermore, competitiveness refers to the modal competition of the maritime transport sector compared to other modes (mainly road transport) i.e. to improve the processes and services within maritime transport and related port operations.

The main areas of this transport theme, addressed through specific research topics in Key Action 3 and partly in Key Action 2 of FP5 and under the objective of "Strengthening competitiveness" in FP6 and FP7, are: (i) the maritime transport integration into international supply chains, (ii) reduction of operational costs and time, (iii) process optimization, (iv) improving service quality, (v) enhancing service reliability, (vi) improved navigation systems and (vii) advanced vessel technologies.

Energy The optimum use of energy in maritime transport (related to both ship and port

operations) is a research field where great emphasis has been placed throughout the three FPs. Originally introduced in FP5, aiming to optimize ship and port operations in terms of energy efficiency, several research efforts in this field were undertaken in the next FPs focusing on reduction of fuel consumption, use of alternative energy resources, new propulsion and power systems, new ship designs etc. Innovative technologies on these areas led to the introduction of the concept of the electric ship in FP7.

Environment While the “Greening of Transport” becomes particularly visible in FP7 as a separate

dedicated activity group, reducing the environmental impact of (maritime) transport has always been among the key objectives of the previous two FPs. The main areas addressed in this theme are: (i) reduction of air pollution (e.g. sulphur, CO2, PM, NOx or GHG in general), (ii) reduction of water pollution, (iii) reduction of ground and noise pollution in relation to both vessel and port operations (iv) optimization of ballast water management, (v) anti-fouling painting, (vi) pollution post accident treatment (e.g. oil spill cleaning) and (vii) ship coating.

Human factors Human factors refer to qualification, training of seafarers and dock workers as well as

issues concerning related working conditions and safety in shipping and ports. Obviously there is a close relation between human factors and safety & security issues, which justifies the fact that the majority of human related topics, in all three FPs, have been addressed mainly within the context of safety & security. However, additional explicit topics addressing human and behavioural aspects were introduced in FP7.


Safety & security Safety and security of maritime transport is a research field of great importance for the

European Commission, which justifies the several research topics introduced in the three FPs and the numerous research projects that have been funded producing new technologies and intelligent systems that protect seafarers and dock workers as well as vessels and port infrastructure against (i) acknowledged risks and dangers that occur during the transport operation system (safety) and (ii) unauthorized and unexpected actions of any kind (security). As a specific topic in Key Action 3 of FP5 and as a wider objective in FP6 ("Increasing waterborne safety") and FP7 ("Improving safety and security"), research on safety and security issues has always been a key priority.

Overview of maritime transport research projects funded under DG RTD addressing the key maritime transport research priorities

To assess the extent to which research projects' outcomes have fulfilled the targets and goals set by the EC and investigate their adoption by the maritime transport industry, a thorough review of 120 DG RTD funded research projects has been performed. The research projects have been funded under the 5th, 6th and the first three calls of the 7th Framework Programme, with a total budget of around € 594.9 Million, out of which approximately € 344.7 Million represent the European Commission's contribution. The number of research projects and the related EU funding per Framework Programme and instrument (limited to small or large collaborative projects and not considering coordination and support actions) are presented in the following table. It should be noted that Integrated Projects (IP) in FP5 are indicated as N/A as this instrument was introduced in FP6.

Table 2: Maritime transport research projects and EU funding per instrument in the three FPs

*Only projects of the first three calls of FP7 are considered Source: MARPOS project

According to the above table, although the number of maritime transport research projects funded under FP6 is smaller compared to the number of projects funded under FP5 (FP7 is still ongoing thus no such conclusions can be drawn), the total budget allocated to maritime transport research in FP6 is substantially higher compared to the corresponding budget in FP5. This fact can be attributed to the introduction of large integrated projects in FP6, comprising large consortia and addressing wider research areas within maritime transport, not focusing on small-scale research fields as was the scope of most research projects funded under FP5. It also reflects the shift from a narrower technology focus to addressing broader challenges.


These 120 research projects are further categorized according to the five broad transport research themes. Figure 2 shows the number of projects classified under each theme. It should be noted that, although several projects address issues that cut across more than one theme, each of the 120 projects has been classified under one theme, based on its primary goals and outcomes. Nevertheless, there is often a significant overlap between themes, especially among (i) competitiveness, environment and energy, and (ii) human factors and safety & security.

The figure indicates the special interest of the EU on improving the competitiveness of the maritime transport sector (46 out of the 120 projects, or 38%), minimizing its environmental footprint (29 out of the 120 projects, or 24%) and increasing its safety & security (31 out of the 120 projects, or 25%).

Figure 2: Number of maritime transport research projects per FP and maritime transport theme

Source: MARPOS project

Figure 3 presents similar information in terms of total budget and EU contribution, calculated on the basis of the 120 projects considered, as these have been allocated to each maritime transport theme.

Figure 3: Total budget and EU funding per Maritime Transport theme


Competitiveness € 240.4 Million

EU: € 139.4 Million

Energy €122.8 Million


Environment €87.3 Million


Human factors € 3.8 Million

EU: € 2.8 Million

Safety & Security € 140.6 Million


Total budget and EU funding per Maritime Transport theme


Results shown in figures 2 and 3 indicate that the budget share and the number of projects per theme are nearly congruent. Nevertheless the following observations can be made:

• The energy-related projects share 16% of the total budget but they only present 8% of the total number of projects. On the other side, the environment-related projects have a total budget share of 12% and they present 19% of the total number of projects. Although there is a significant overlap between the two themes, projects addressing energy related topics tend to be larger in terms of their funding, compared to projects addressing environment related themes.

• The number of research projects addressing the aspects of environment and safety & security is quite equal throughout the three FPs, but the budget share of the two themes varies significantly, indicating that safety & security related projects tend to have higher budget.

The 120 research projects consisted, in most cases, of large or medium-sized consortia, bringing together academic/research institutions, and public and private sector actors in the broader field of maritime transport. About 859 partners from all European and several other countries worked together, each providing key expertise on their respective fields and producing important research outcomes.

The following table presents the number of research projects in which partners from each country have participated. The table includes participation from European and from other foreign countries, as international cooperation was promoted through specific topics.

Table 3: Maritime transport research projects per research partners' country


According to Table 3, U.K. based institutions, agencies, organizations or other entities participated in 84 out of the 120 projects. Other “top” participants include Germany, France, Italy, Norway, Netherlands, Finland, Greece, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, and Denmark. These countries represent major players in the EU shipping, ship-building and/or ports industry. The cooperation of European with other international partners from countries with strong maritime industries, such as the U.S., Canada, India, Japan, and China, is worth noting.

On a partner level, Table 4 presents the top ten (10) entities, based on the number of projects they have participated in. The participation in numerous maritime transport research projects is an indication of the partners' experience in this research field and highlights their significant contribution to new technological developments and the enhancement of the maritime transport sector competitiveness.

Table 4: "Top" ten maritime research partners based on the number of research projects they have participated in

The research projects in which most of the "top" research partners have participated

include SAFEDOR (in which 8 out of the top 10 partners participated, or [8/10]), HARDER, S@S and BESST [7/10], POSE2IDON [6/10], FLAGSHIP, VIRTUE, FLOODSTAND, GOALDS, NEREUS and POP&C [5/10].

Maritime research projects' outcomes

The 120 maritime transport research projects were classified into 14 broad categories

based on their primary research outcomes, as presented in the following table (Table 5). This section aims to describe the evolution of maritime research by presenting the key research outcomes in each of these categories and throughout the three FPs. The projects are classified based on their main product or outcome, so each project appears only in one of the categories. It should be noted, however, that most of the projects produced several outcomes, fitting under more than one category.


Table 5: Categorization of maritime transport research projects based on the type of their key outcome

Categories of outcomes Research project acronym 1. Shipbuilding and maintenance (€ 120.4 Million, EU: € 68.2 Million) 1.1 Structural analysis DISCO

1.2 Production processes DOCKLASER, DOCKWELDER, SHIPYAG, InterSHIP, BESST, BONDSHIP

1.3 Ship repair and dismantling SHIPMATES, CO-PATCH, ECO-REFITEC, ShipDismantl, DIVEST

1.4 Research with respect to collision and grounding

CRASHCOASTER

1.5 Innovative materials SANDWICH, DE-LIGHT Transport, CLEANMOULD, FasdHTS

2. Ship hull (€ 23.1 Million, EU: € 14.1 Million) 2.1 Hull inspection / cleaning CAS, HISMAR, MINOAS, AURORA,

CLEANHULL, ROTIS II, RISPECT 2.2 Hull efficiency EFFISES 3. Ship propulsion (€ 31.4 Million, EU: € 19.7 Million) 3.1 Propulsion efficiency LEADING EDGE, SAFE PROPULSOR,

SUPERPROP, EROCAV, PODS IN SERVICE, OPTIPOD

3.2 Innovative propulsion concepts HYMAR, STREAMLINE, TRIPOD 4. Electric ship (€ 47.3 Million, EU: € 25.4 Million) 4.1 Electric power component design KITVES, POSEI2DON 4.2 Marine fuel cells MC-WAP, METHAPU, FCSHIP 5. Maritime vessel engine (€ 83.2 Million, EU: € 44.1 Million) 5. 1 Engine efficiency MEPEMS, OFIENGINE, POSSEIDON, STID,

LIFETIME, AE-WATT 5.2 Ultra low emissions in maritime engines HERCULES, HERCULES-B, SMOKERMEN,

CLEANENGINE, HELIOS 6. Innovative ship and infrastructure concepts (€ 23.5 Million, EU: € 12.5 Million) 6.1 New ship concepts INTERMODESHIP, CREATE3S, IMPROVE,

EU-CARGOXPRESS 6.2 Innovative floating structures and operations GIFT, SAFE OFFLOAD 7. Systems integration (€ 38.8 Million, EU: € 22.1 Million) 7.1 Systems and on-board equipment SEA-AHED, SEAROUTES, NAVTRONIC 7.2 Ship / shore systems INTEGRATION, TOHPIC, NG2SHIPI/F,

TEFLES, EC-DOCK 7.3 Eco-ship systems Absorption Refrigeration and Cooling

Systems for Ships, TARGETS 8. Systems integration for safety & security (€ 34.9 Million, EU: € 20.8 Million) 8.1 Decision support systems HORIZON, ADOPT, DSS-DC, HANDLING

WAVES, SAFETOW 8.2 Navigation systems ARIADNA 8.3 Monitoring systems CORFAT, HULLMON+ 8.4 Evacuation systems FIRE EXIT, SAFEGUARD 9. Inland transport (€ 4.5 Million, EU: € 2.7 Million) 9.1 New concepts for competitive inland transport

CREATING


10. Waterborne operations (€ 29.4 Million, EU: € 16.4 Million) 10.1 Ship operations FLAGSHIP 10.2 Port operations ASAPP ONE 10.3 Operations in ice infested waters ICEWIN, SAFEICE, SAFEWIN 11. Minimizing the environmental impact of vessels (€ 58.6 Million, EU: € 37 Million) 11.1 Ship coating CLEANFILM, SMOOTH, ENZYME-

ANTIFOULING, Eco-friendly Anti-Fouling Paints, EcoDock, EFTCOR, ECOPAINT

11.2 Minimizing wash, noise and vibration FLOWMART, NORMA, SOUNDBOAT, SILENV, COMPASS

11.3 Pollution treatment / prevention DIFIS, EU-MOP, OSH, ARGOMARINE, SUSY, HOVERSPILL, POP&C

11.4 Cost effective waste management and ballast water treatment

BaWaPLa

12. Ship design (€ 88.7 Million, EU: € 55 Million) 12.1 New design methodologies FANTASTIC, FASTPOD, MOBISHIP,

TULCS, EXCITING, ULYSSES, HARDER, NEREUS, ROROPROB, S@S, SAFEDOR, EXTREME SEAS, GOALDS, FLOODSTAND

12.2 Integrated fluid dynamic analysis in ship design

VIRTUE

13. Rescue systems (€ 3.5 Million, EU: € 2 Million) 13.1 Rescue systems SAFECRAFTS 14. Maritime fire safety (€ 7.6 Million, EU: € 4.7 Million) 14.1 Maritime fire safety SAFETY FIRST, FIREPROOF

1. Shipbuilding and maintenance The area of shipbuilding has always been considered as one of the key fields of

maritime research, aiming to secure and improve the competitive position of EU shipyards by reducing production cost and optimizing all relevant processes. The main aspects of shipbuilding that have been addressed by research projects throughout the three FPs are: (i) Structural analysis, where novel concepts have been introduced in FP5 with regard to safety and security (e.g. new crashworthy side structures), (ii) Innovative materials, such as high-tensile steel (FP5) and lightweight sandwich panels/modules (FP6), (iii) Production processes, where innovative systems for welding operations have been developed in FP5, (iv) Ship repair, focusing on the optimization of the operations of a ship repair yard (FP6) and the introduction of new technological developments (composite patch repair or reinforcements) and IT tools (FP7), (v) Ship dismantling, where guidelines for a prototype dismantling site have been introduced (FP6) as well as decision support systems and risk and economic frameworks for the optimization of the existing dismantling processes (FP7).

It should also be noted that an important milestone in maritime research has been the introduction in FP6 of large integrated projects which addressed many different aspects within the area of shipbuilding and developed tools for hull production, improved yard logistics, e-trade and e-procurement systems etc.

Ship Hull Although research on ship hull can be considered within the cluster of shipbuilding, a

separate category proved to be essential as many research projects addressed specifically this issue, aiming to improve not only hull efficiency, by introducing innovative air-cushion/lubrication techniques (FP5) but also relevant operations such as hull inspection


(FP6 & FP7) and cleaning (FP5). The majority of projects addressing these operations focus on the development of automatic robots or systems in order to lower to the minimum degree the required human intervention in such a difficult and dangerous environment.

Ship propulsion Ship propulsion has been considered as an important area in maritime research

focusing on both: (i) the improvement of existing propellers by addressing problems such as vibration, cavitations, vortices, propeller-hull interaction, erosion etc and introducing mathematical models for the optimization of propeller design (FP5) and (ii) the introduction of new innovative propeller concepts (FP7) aiming to increase efficiency and optimize their hydrodynamic performance. Furthermore, the combination of existing propulsion technologies such as CLT, CRT and podded propulsion has been investigated along with the potential use of marine hybrid propulsion systems on small vessels.

Electric ship The electric ship is a new concept addressed in FP6 and FP7, introducing the

generation of electric energy on vessels. Within this concept, two research fields have been particularly studied: (i) Electric power component design, where the on-board realization of a wind-power generator has been investigated as well as the reduction of the size of generating equipment in order to be adopted in smaller merchant ships and (ii) marine fuel cells, investigating their economic and environmental potential leading subsequently to the design and development of power plants based on molten carbonate fuel cells technology thus introducing auxiliary power generation on board large ships.

Maritime vessel engine Maritime engine has been subject of research, throughout the three FPs, regarding

two major aspects i.e. (i) the improvement of its efficiency, through the introduction of new technologies optimizing specific engine's procedures and failure predicting systems preventing at an early stage engine degradation (FP5) as well as (ii) the reduction of its emissions to certain predefined limits by optimizing specific engine operations (FP6) (e.g. operational pressure and temperature parameters) and introducing new engines capable of running with high biofuel content blends (FP7).

Innovative ship and infrastructure concepts New ship and infrastructure concepts have been proposed in the three FPs, aiming to

give new impulse to European Short Sea Shipping and thus encourage modal shift from road to waterborne transport. The new ship concepts (FP5 & FP6) consisted of: (a) a novel cargo-carrying concept for efficient and economical river-sea transport, (b) a ship consisting of two basic modules (ship platform and cargo-containing modules) which are joined together at sea but are separated at the destination as the cargo-containing module is discharged and replaced by a new one and (c) and innovative cargo vessel introducing new approaches regarding aspects of ship equipment, propulsion concepts, ship structure, maintenance and ship operation.

The new infrastructure concept consisted of an innovative offshore floating storage terminal for importing LNG, examining also the environmental conditions that influence the whole FLNG system i.e. the interaction between the environment and the production, shuttle vessels and the responses of the vessels (FP6).

Systems integration Throughout the three FPs, many research projects developed on-board systems and

equipment addressing various parts of the overall ship operation acting as: (a) a navigational


and manoeuvring aid (FP5), (b) a support tool assisting in the selection of the optimum sea route minimizing adverse and maximizing beneficial effects as sea performance, safety, quality of life at sea etc (FP5) and (c) a sail planning system, using real-time local and remote observations combined with now cast and forecast numerical models to optimize sailing time, reduce fuel consumption, emissions and minimize cost (FP7).

Furthermore the ship / shore interaction has been investigated regarding (a) modifications / adaptations to the existing ship / terminal technologies (FP5), (b) automatic loading / unloading techniques for High Speed Crafts (HSC) (FP5), (c) improvement of the interface between LNG ships and relevant loading / unloading terminal infrastructures (FP6), (d) safe and quick manoeuvring of ships inside the ports through the use of a docking aid (FP7) and (e) after-treatment technologies aiming to reduce both the emissions and time in ship / port operations (FP7).

Finally, particular emphasis has been placed on eco-ship systems aiming to minimize waste residuals and promote efficient and environmentally friendly vessels. Within this concept, a novel system has been developed exploiting the waste heat from the ship's engine to provide refrigeration and cooling (FP5) while design, tools and guidelines have been introduced for an energy efficient operation of cargo ships (FP7).

Systems integration for safety and security Although this category could be combined with the previous one, as they are directly

related, it is considered separately as many research projects developed systems particularly focusing on safety & security aspects. These systems consisted of:

(i) Decision support systems, aiming to provide decisions for enhancing ship safety. In more detail, these systems focused on: (a) handling on-board crisis situations with regard to problems on propulsion systems, hull damage and intentional grounding (FP6), (b) predicting the ship’s motion and calculating the actual risk of operating the ship in a given situation (FP6), (c) controlling and handling vessels in case they become disabled, enabling the master to improve ship performance and minimize the likelihood of structural damage (FP6) and (d) determining optimal settings, given the impact of fatigue on decision-making, for minimizing risks to both ship and seafarer (FP7).

(ii) Navigation systems, which aimed to better estimate the risk of travelling into channels, inland waterways, port and other areas with high traffic volume and thus reduce human errors and improve efficiency and safety (FP7).

(iii) Monitoring systems, contributing to a large extent to the increase of ship safety by assisting in the detection of possible deficiencies in ships' operations thus providing the necessary time to the crew in order to take remedial actions. Such systems monitor the ship’s motion, acceleration and hull stress aiming to minimize the risk of loss of lives and the damage to the environment (FP5). Transport products are also monitored by relevant systems especially on board tankers, where the potential danger for the environment is obviously greater (FP7).

(iii) Evacuation systems, which are considered as an important part among the variety of systems that address ship safety. Within this concept, a ship evacuation simulator has been developed (FP5) capable of addressing issues of mustering, ship motions, fire and abandonment assisting in the enhancement of the evacuation analysis protocol with sea based data on passenger response times and assembly times of a sufficient size and richness to permit model calibration, verification and validation (FP7).

Inland transport This research field has been addressed by a FP6 funded research project aiming to

improve the competitiveness of inland waterway transport compared to road transport, the


latter of which is still the main transport mode for continental cargo. The project introduced new logistical and vessels concepts with optimized performance on hydrodynamics and fuel economy, reducing the environmental impact thus improving safety and efficiency.

Waterborne operations As presented in previous categories, many systems have been developed, throughout

the three FPs, focusing on specific ship and port operations. However, some research projects investigated the improvement of these operations in a more holistic view. In detail, those projects focused on: (i) Ship operations, addressing the majority of the issues a ship operator confronts regarding the ship itself, its day-to-day operation, its equipment, any emergencies and other exceptional situations (FP6) and (ii) Port operations, aiming to reduce the port's role as a sole route for freight and storage traffic by introducing a split-terminal concept (FP5). It should be noted that particular emphasis was also placed on the operation of vessels on ice infested waters (FP6 & FP7). Within this field, design codes and regulations for icebound ships were set, new technical solutions capable of breaking a sufficient wide channel have been introduced as well as an ice compression and dynamics forecasting system which along with the redesign of some parts of the ship structure can achieve the best possible damage resistance in structural weight.

Minimizing the environmental impact of vessels Reducing the environmental impact of maritime transport has always been considered

as a key priority of maritime research as almost 90% of the EU external trade is seaborne leading to substantial air, water and ground pollution. Within this category, the research fields where particular emphasis was placed include:

(i) Ship coating, where research activities resulted in environmentally friendly solutions and materials for ship coating replacing the existing ones that prove to have undesirable effects on the sea, fish and crustaceans. New technologies preventing the formation of fouling that hinders the performance of boats and for hull coating removal were also introduced (FP5) as well as new products in terms of control and paint systems (FP6).

(ii) Aiming to improve the characteristics of waterborne transport regarding passenger comfort, research was carried out focusing on the limitation of (a) the wash effect, by introducing a new software examining the wave and wash characteristics of High Speed Crafts (FP5), (b) noise, through the introduction of new technologies and tools for new low-noise fast ferries (FP5) and a green label proposal including recommended target levels for noise and vibration (FP7). Furthermore, a new motion sickness prediction model was developed along with realistic standards for motion sickness and passenger comfort dedicated to sea-transportation with an ultimate technological aim of improving the safety of passenger and crew (FP5).

(iii) Pollution treatment/prevention, focusing on the emerging issue of marine oil spills, a high priority for the EU community. Important research work was undertaken in this field resulting in the development of innovative robots or ship concepts capable of recovering oil thus eliminating the pollution threat (FP6). Research in FP7 emphasized more on the prevention of oil spillages rather than their treatment. In detail, systems monitoring the marine traffic and pollution events were developed while others focused on preventing oil spillages by stabilizing vessels immediately after an accident. It should be noted that a framework and suitable tools for a methodological assessment of risk to be undertaken to provide a rational basis for making decisions pertaining to the design, operation and regulation of oil tankers was also introduced.

(iv) Cost effective waste management and ballast water treatment, an issue which was addressed by a FP6 research project, resulting in the development of a ballast water


treatment plant with minimal environmental effects and adhering to the IMO guidelines for ship’s ballast water treatment.

Ship design Important research work has been undertaken mainly in FP5 and to a smaller extent in

FP6 and FP7 regarding ship design, introducing innovative design methodologies with the overall objective being the improved performance of ships at the early design stage.

In more detail, the design methodologies that were introduced in FP5 aimed to improve the competitiveness of European shipbuilding and enhance ship safety & security. The focus of these methodologies was on: improving refined shape optimization, exploiting the benefits of electric padded drives on large and fast commercial ships, developing a framework containing all the required information for the design flow of a ship, defining probabilistic damage stability ensuring flexibility in design, integrating survivability in the design process as a regular design parameter, optimizing compartmentation and internal arrangements of passenger Ro-Ro ships and assessing safety aspects versus cost aspects at the design stage of a High Speed Craft.

Research in ship design was also carried out in the next FPs, although the number of research projects was significantly smaller than the one in FP5. Only one FP6 research project addressed the issue of ship design by developing tools, for safety performance prediction and innovative safety critical technologies for the analysis of design proposals and concepts. The FP7 research projects' outcomes consisted of: computational tools for the optimized design of functional free-form surfaces (ship hulls and propellers), design tools and guidelines capable of analyzing all hydro-structure interaction problems relevant to Ultra Large Container Ships, new technologies improving the design of ship structures in extreme seas, new formulations for the calculation of the survival probability of ROPAX and mega cruise vessels regarding flooding and grounding accidents, numerical tools for the assessment of ship survivability addressing the risk of flooding and a design of a medium and long-term impact ship capable of meeting respectively the 2020 and 2050 CO2 targets.

Apart from design methodologies, ship behaviour was also investigated by a FP6 research project through the use and further improvement of Computational Fluid Dynamic tools, which resulted in the creating of a platform providing a full range hydrodynamic analysis to customers.

Rescue systems Only one FP6 research project focused on the rescue process aiming to provide an

improvement in safety for the evacuation system of ships in terms of passenger / crew survivability by conceptual improvements of current, to that date, lifesaving appliances.

Maritime fire safety Among various factors that a ship must take into consideration in order to improve its

safety, fire is considered to be a major one as it can easily occur. Therefore, research on increasing fire safety was essential. Within this field, a design tool kit was developed in FP5 harmonizing the fire risk assessment techniques, which are already used in other industrial sectors in ship design while a regulatory framework for maritime fire safety was introduced in FP7 based on probabilistic and numerical models of ignition, growth and impact of fires.


The implementation of projects’ outcomes by the Maritime Industry

Of major importance to achieving the targets set by the EC was the successful implementation as well as the industrial uptaking of the projects' final outputs. Ideally, technological research projects would provide the EU maritime transport industry with innovative solutions, processes and products that would enhance European competitiveness and also meet the European Union’s other policy objectives, such as increased safety and maritime transport environmental protection.

To capture the projects outcomes' implementation, a series of individual contacts with the project coordinators was implemented. The survey focused only on the maritime research projects that were funded under FP6. The FP7 research projects were excluded as they are either still ongoing or there has been not enough time to have their results developed in actualized commercialisable concepts. Interviews were also not held with FP5 project coordinators as FP5 research projects were undertaken over a decade ago and their results will be of less relevance; furthermore, obtaining reliable information would be even more difficult since for most of these projects, the contact details of their key partners were not updated or even not available.

From the 37 maritime transport research projects that were funded under FP6 and examined for the scope of this paper analysis, a total of 34 successful personal telephone interviews were conducted and 14 written responses with comments from the respective project coordinators were obtained. For 12 projects5 we obtained both written and oral input through a specific questionnaire and telephone interviews. For three projects6 we did not succeed in obtaining a telephone interview.

Based on the findings of the survey and the interviews with the project coordinators, 3 of the 37 projects (8%) produced results that have now been fully taken up by the industry as a whole. Those projects were:

- DSS-DC: Produced outcomes in the field of systems integration for safety and security, and specifically, advanced decision support systems. Project's outputs have been taken up by the industry, especially by manufacturing industry companies..

- HERCULES: Produced outcomes in the field of maritime vessel engine, and specifically, ultra low emissions in maritime engines. Maritime transport industry took on the implementation of the project's results. Now, engine efficiency (CO2 reduction) surpasses the 3% goal that was set by the project.

- SAFEICE: Produced outcomes in the field of waterborne operations, and specifically, operations in ice-infested waters. The project's results have been immediately adopted in further shipbuilding research especially in Finland while they were also used internationally for the development of ice class rules.

For a further 14 of the 37 projects (38%), the results have been taken up by the projects' industry partners on an on-going commercial basis. Those projects were: ADOPT, CLEANMOULD, DE-LIGHT Transport, ECODOCK, EU-MOP, FLAGSHIP, HANDLING WAVES, HISMAR, IMPROVE, InterSHIP, NG2SHIPI/F, OFIENGINE, SAFE OFFLOAD and SHIPMATES. Among them, some good examples worth mentioning are:

- SHIPMATES: The project partners (shipyards and universities) used the project's results even if the wider uptake has not been encouraging. Specifically, one partner used the 5 The 12 projects, were: GIFT, SAFECRAFTS, EU-MOP, OFIENGINE, BaWaPLa, DE-LIGHT Transport, CREATE3S, IMPROVE, SAFETOW, MC-WAP, VIRTUE and ADOPT 6 These were: CREATING, CLEANENGINE and METHAPU


project's outcomes to advise on the design of new ship recycling facilities (recycling the entire ship).

- OFIENGINE: Implementation of the project's results has been undertaken by the consortium partners, and a new patent has been produced.

- FLAGSHIP: Some of the project's outputs have been commercialized by members of the consortium (e.g. the measurement of fuel, ship to shore communications and fire protection systems).

The comparison of the above projects, which to a certain extent achieved the implementation of their outputs either by the wider maritime transport industry or by their project partners, with the projects in which the "top" ten (10) research partners participated, indicates that establishing a consortium with partners actively involved in many maritime research projects does not guarantee the successful implementation of a project's research outcomes (only the FLAGSHIP project in this case confirms this hypothesis). However, the consortia of those "successful" projects mainly consist of partners located in the "top" ten countries, as indicated in Table 3. As a result, having long experience on maritime research projects does not prove to be a sole factor of success, but having a great interest for the maritime transport sector, which can lead to new and innovative ideas seems to be an essential element. Furthermore, the success of the implementation of the projects' outcomes may depend on how timely these outcomes are at the time of their completion vis-à-vis the needs and trends of the maritime industry, as well as on the ambition and proper execution of the dissemination and exploitation plans produced by the research partners.

For 20 of the 37 projects (54%), the results had not been fully taken up by the maritime transport industry by the end of 2010. Based on the replies of the project coordinators, the main reasons for this lack of industrial and/or commercial take-up or for the delayed such uptake can be summarized to the following:

- The project results have not been adopted because of lack of a regulatory framework and/or lack of necessary actions by the regulatory bodies, such as the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Some claimed that only their adoption by regulatory bodies would make industry take up the innovatory results of the project – because the take up could, and in many cases is, more expensive than doing nothing. This is especially the case with projects dealing with maritime safety. Another big problem concerning the lack of a regulatory framework is the absence of a certifying authority for the new process or for the adoption of the innovation (7 projects claimed this to be the case).

- The current poor economic climate and outlook in Europe. For instance project coordinators have claimed that “at present, shipyards are looking to avoid closure, not to innovate” or “no new LNG ships are being commissioned”. In some cases it has been claimed that the adoption is not possible as banks, in the poor current economic climate, are unwilling to lend to industry for the funding of the implementation of the innovation (7 projects claimed this to be the case).

- More funds are needed to complete the research product and “they are not being made available by the European Union” or “they cannot be borne by industry alone”. (10 projects claimed this to be the case).

The table below summarises the “financial outcome” of these projects. The total investment by the EU on the 37 FP6 maritime projects was around € 129.8 Million. From a financial point of view, the contribution made by the European Union has, to a large extent, produced implemented outcomes.


Table 6: Approximate EU financial contribution to FP6 maritime research projects by implementation of results


More specifically, the table indicates that 13% of the 129.8 million Euro was allocated to projects, which produced results that have been taken up by the broader industry, 52% to projects with results taken up by the projects' industry partners, 23% to projects with results that have not yet been implemented by the industry, and a further 12% were related to projects not yet completed. If we exclude the FP6 projects that were not completed by the time this analysis was performed, we have 74% of the European Union financial contribution going to projects producing results that have already been taken up by the industry.

Conclusions

The paper presents an overview of the maritime transport research priorities and of the research projects funded by DG RTD under FP5, FP6 and the first three calls of FP7. Analysis of these projects indicates that a certain continuity of the maritime transport objectives and research priorities, regarding the themes of competitiveness, energy, environment, human factors and safety & security, exist throughout the three FPs although detailed topics and targets have changes over time.

Throughout the processes of the last three FPs, maritime research has focused mainly on improving the competitiveness of the maritime transport sector. Minimizing its environmental footprint and increasing its safety are also issues of high importance. Regarding specific research fields, particular emphasis was placed on the areas of shipbuilding and maintenance, ship design, maritime vessel engines and minimizing the environmental impact of vessels. The analysis described in this paper sets the basis for identifying the current gaps of maritime research thus indicating where future maritime research should focus.

The technological outcomes of many FP6 research projects have been taken up by the projects’ industry partners (38% of the projects) and in many cases by the wider industrial and commercial sectors (8% of the projects). However, nearly 54% of the FP6 research projects did not have any of their results implemented by the maritime transport industry or project partners. The experience of individual partners and their record of participation in a number of projects is not by itself a success factor in terms of producing implementable


outcomes. The timeliness of the outcomes production and the execution of a proper dissemination and exploitation plan, on the other hand, may assist in this direction.

Resources both in terms of research and finance could be better targeted and monitored to avoid having any projects, not achieving any appreciable implemented innovations. The EC could undertake specific measures regarding the successful implementation of results for any future projects, such as: adopting an agenda of implementation as an integral part of any future project and, monitor the implementation process even after the projects have been completed.

Where the EC research funding is targeted for the development of an implementable innovation, this could be made an explicit criterion as a condition for the disbursement of funds.

References

1. Directorate General for Energy and Transport, 2009. Maritime Transport Strategy 2009 - 2018 - Strategic goals and recommendations for the EU's maritime transport policy until 2018.

2. European Commission - Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the regions, 2008. Guidelines for an Integrated Approach to Maritime Policy: Towards best practice in integrated maritime governance and stakeholder consultation

3. European Commission - Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the regions, 2008. A European Strategy for Marine and Maritime Research. A coherent European Research Area framework in support of a sustainable use of oceans and seas

4. EU 7th FP project MARPOS, 2011. Inventory of EU funded maritime transport research projects, analysis of research outcomes. Draft publication with the achievements - recommendations - assessment of the results of FP5 / FP6 / FP7 maritime projects - Deliverable 2.3

EUROPEAN MARITIME TRANSPORT POLICY AND RESEARCH PRIORITIES

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