D2.6 Roadmap for automated waterborne transport

This report presents the AEGIS roadmap for automated waterborne transport and is the result of the work related to Task 2.5 Roadmap for waterborne logistics redesign as defined in the AEGIS Grant Agreement. The task was to collect the results of the AEGIS work package 2 and 6, and the AEGIS use cases, to provide a publicly available roadmap for redesign of more sustainable waterborne transport. Furthermore, the main AEGIS solutions that can be used to realise the redesign was to be identified, and benefits and possible costs were to be described, exemplified by future transport systems, including intercontinental transport. Furthermore, the focus was to be on unitized cargo (i.e., containers and ro-ro trailers).
The report is based on the AEGIS use cases and outlines one logistics redesign for short sea shipping where the cargo is containers, and one for inland waterways shipping where the cargo is roro trailers. Intercontinental transport was not studied in detail within the AEGIS project, as it was not in scope. This means that no study investigating the applicability of AEGIS solutions for intercontinental transport has been done, and thus the background for creating a roadmap for intercontinental transport is missing. Instead, intercontinental transport is briefly discussed in a separate section of the report. Furthermore, even though the AEGIS solutions do not target the deep sea leg of intercontinental transport, they are highly applicable to the distribution and consolidation of cargo in the hinterland. For this part of intercontinental transport, the short sea and inland transport roadmaps are directly applicable.
For each of the two segments short sea and inland waterways, the bassline “as-is” scenarios are discussed to provide insight into current challenges and areas with potential for improvements. Then a redesign is introduced, where the AEGIS innovations and concepts are used to gain efficiency benefits and zero emission transport systems. As part of the redesign discussion, the gaps towards realisation are also discussed and identified. These are related to immature technology, certain issues that currently are not addressed and needs both research and development, and issues related to uptake and investment risk. Next, one roadmap for short sea shipping and one for inland waterways is presented, and discussed in terms of short term, medium term and long term phases and what advancements needs to be made (i.e., what gaps needs to be closed) within each of these periods. Finally, policy support and actions are discussed in terms of what will be required to realise the roadmaps.
The two roadmaps presented in this report includes discussions for the short-, medium- and long-term periods. The roadmaps are structured this way to facilitate a discussion around which aspects are mature, and which require more research and has a longer expected horizon to market. The roadmaps are written with the purpose of allowing the implementation of the new transport systems in the short, medium, and long term, and a discussion is made around the sustainability of the transport system at each maturity level.