Waterborne transport for a green future
With demand for shipping forecast to grow significantly in the coming years, these numbers are likely to increase. While that’s good news for the economy, it’s bad news for the environment, as it could mean a 20-50 % increase in the emissions of a sector that has already proved difficult to decarbonise. If Europe is to achieve its goal of becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050, it must reduce waterborne transport’s environmental footprint. Doing so means overcoming a range of issues, including low public awareness, a lack of transparency and coordination, infrastructure related bottlenecks, a need for new solutions, and an ageing – and often inefficient – fleet of vessels. Moreover, the competitiveness of EU manufacturing and operating companies in waterborne transport relies on leading the green and digital transition of such a globally exposed sector. These challenges are being addressed through EU-funded research, innovation, implementation and infrastructure projects. In this CORDIS Synergy Info Pack you’ll find a collection of projects managed by CINEA, the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency. They are drawn from a variety of funding programmes, including Horizon Europe, the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), LIFE, the Innovation Fund and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). Established by the European Commission under the motto ‘Funding a Green Future for Europe’, CINEA contributes to the European Green Deal by implementing parts of EU funding programmes for transport, energy, climate action, environment, and maritime fisheries and aquaculture. The Agency manages over EUR 60 billion in funding, with EUR 4.6 billion being allocated to 350 projects running within the waterborne transport sector. The synergies between its programmes form a pipeline that takes innovation from low Technology Readiness Level research to full market deployment, benefiting industry and citizens alike. The 13 projects presented in this Pack reflect a range of ways in which research, innovation, and deployment of vessels and infrastructure are helping make the sector greener and more efficient. You’ll hear about projects working to power cargo ships using renewable wind energy, electricity, green hydrogen, synthetic methanol and bio-LNG. You’ll learn what’s being done to protect whales and dolphins from colliding with ships, and discover a number of efforts to clean up Europe’s ports and waterways. Each of the featured CINEA-supported projects, which come from different sectors, countries and funding programmes, is doing its part to make waterborne transport more sustainable, more efficient and more competitive. Together, this work underscores waterborne transport as a sustainable choice for moving people and goods – putting the EU on course to climate neutrality and cleantech industrial leadership.