Periodic Reporting for period 2 - NOVIMOVE (Novel inland waterway transport concepts for moving freight effectively)
Reporting period: 2021-12-01 to 2023-05-31
Inland Waterborne Transport advantages such as low-energy and low CO2 emitting transport are not fully exploited today due to gaps in the logistics system. Inland container vessels pay 6-8 calls at seaport terminals with long waiting times. More time is lost by sub-optimal navigation on rivers and waiting at bridges and locks. In addition, low load factors of containers and vessels impact the logistics systems with unnecessary high numbers of containers being transported and trips being made. The NOVIMOVE strategy to address this is to “condense” the logistics system by improving container load factors and by reducing waiting times in seaports, by improved river voyage planning and execution, and by facilitating smooth passages through bridges and locks. NOVIMOVE’s innovations are: (1) cargo reconstruction to raise container load factors, (2) mobile terminals feeding inland barges, (3) smart river navigation by merging satellite (Galileo) information with real-time river water depths data, (4) smooth passage through bridges/locks by a dynamic scheduling system for better corridor management along the Trans-European Transport Network Rhine-Alpine route, (5) concepts for innovative vessels that can adapt to low water conditions while maintaining a full payload, and (6) close cooperation with logistic stakeholders, ports and water authorities along the Rhine-Alpine route: Antwerp, Rotterdam, Duisburg, Basel.
NOVIMOVE technology developments have recently been demonstrated by virtual simulation and scaled model tests, and will soon also be demonstrated in full-scale. NOVIMOVE innovations are estimated to impact the quantity of freight moved by IWT along the Rhine-Alpine corridor significantly with respect to 2010 baseline data. Identification of the necessary steps towards market uptake are currently being investigated with stakeholders. The NOVIMOVE 21-members consortium combines logistics operators, ports, system-developers and research organisations from 4 EU member states and two associate countries. The project duration is four years, supported with EUR 8,9 million funding.
NOVIMOVE technology developments have recently been demonstrated by virtual simulation and scaled model tests, and will soon also be demonstrated in full-scale. NOVIMOVE innovations are estimated to impact the quantity of freight moved by IWT along the Rhine-Alpine corridor significantly with respect to 2010 baseline data. Identification of the necessary steps towards market uptake are currently being investigated with stakeholders. The NOVIMOVE 21-members consortium combines logistics operators, ports, system-developers and research organisations from 4 EU member states and two associate countries. The project duration is four years, supported with EUR 8,9 million funding.
Since the start of NOVIMOVE, the NOVIMOVE concepts have been developed and materialized towards applicable concepts. By the end of the second project period (Month 36) the following results were achieved:
• Overall requirements for WPs 1-5 and the definition of the assessment criteria have been developed based on status of expected targets per WP, tasks, budget, and quality of work based on overall requirements. The project has now reached milestones 4 and 5 after completing the mid-term and intermediate quality evaluations.
• On the logistics side, the requirements and architecture of the NOVIMOVE transport model have been developed. Necessary model data has been collected, structured, and validated. The transport model, including innovation implementation, has been tested, benchmark cases have been developed, and the serious game using as foundation insights from the transport model has been developed.
• High level design of the requirements of the smart river navigation and dynamic scheduling have been established by academic and industrial partners. The resulting river navigation and dynamic lock scheduling system architectures have been developed further into detailed designs. Integration and testing has taken place, as well as validation by simulation.
• In the innovative ship concepts and equipment area, the requirements and innovative vessel concepts have been developed, targeting solutions for retrofits and new builds. This includes detailing of the modular mobile terminal concept, aiming at increasing the efficiency of harbour operations of IWT by adding more dimensions to port logistics. The NOVIMOVE efforts have resulted in technical verification, also based on experimental analysis, and operational verification.
• Public engagement of key stakeholders is organized in dialogues, while broader communication and dissemination activities have been established with the set up and maintenance of the NOVIMOVE website, realization of publications, presentations, and videos. The draft plan for the exploitation and dissemination of results, including updates of the stakeholder interactions have been prepared.
• Overall requirements for WPs 1-5 and the definition of the assessment criteria have been developed based on status of expected targets per WP, tasks, budget, and quality of work based on overall requirements. The project has now reached milestones 4 and 5 after completing the mid-term and intermediate quality evaluations.
• On the logistics side, the requirements and architecture of the NOVIMOVE transport model have been developed. Necessary model data has been collected, structured, and validated. The transport model, including innovation implementation, has been tested, benchmark cases have been developed, and the serious game using as foundation insights from the transport model has been developed.
• High level design of the requirements of the smart river navigation and dynamic scheduling have been established by academic and industrial partners. The resulting river navigation and dynamic lock scheduling system architectures have been developed further into detailed designs. Integration and testing has taken place, as well as validation by simulation.
• In the innovative ship concepts and equipment area, the requirements and innovative vessel concepts have been developed, targeting solutions for retrofits and new builds. This includes detailing of the modular mobile terminal concept, aiming at increasing the efficiency of harbour operations of IWT by adding more dimensions to port logistics. The NOVIMOVE efforts have resulted in technical verification, also based on experimental analysis, and operational verification.
• Public engagement of key stakeholders is organized in dialogues, while broader communication and dissemination activities have been established with the set up and maintenance of the NOVIMOVE website, realization of publications, presentations, and videos. The draft plan for the exploitation and dissemination of results, including updates of the stakeholder interactions have been prepared.
NOVIMOVE is with the developments of its innovations moving beyond the state of the art in the logistics domain, technology domain, and ship design domain, with the societal aim of improving freight throughput performance of inland waterway transport.
In the logistics domain the NOVIMOVE transport model developed is unique in its capability of interfacing with and bringing together evaluation of the logistical, technological and ship domain innovations. The integrated analysis of the innovations that will be carried out with the model is advancing the state of the art in transport system performance analysis. Moreover, the serious game that is being developed based on the model provides new opportunities for education to students and industrial representatives. Also, the cargo reconstruction concept encompasses new ways of utilizing container capacity.
Considering the technological aspects, the smart river navigation system advances the state of the art by benefitting from a much higher level of information availability than is used so far. The detailed design of the underlying system is new and the upcoming real-life demonstration will provide insights beyond what is known so far. The work on the dynamic lock scheduling system moreover has led to innovative ideas on the scientifically fundamental level.
On the ship design side itself, progress beyond the state of the art has been made by considering a range of ship designs that take as a starting point the expectation that river conditions will in the future vary much more than in the past. The ship designs considered will to some extend be able to adapt the such changes. New experimental results have been obtained to gain quantitative insight in the potential of considered concepts. Besides this, operational aspects necessary to be considered in view of practical implementation have been identified.
In the last phase of NOVIMOVE the potential performance of combinations of NOVIMOVE innovations will be determined by studying the Rhine-Alpine corridor to identify also the potential wider societal implications in a quantitative way. NOVIMOVE is reaching out to stakeholders relevant for the research and relevant for the subsequent market uptake. Outreach and dissemination of the NOVIMOVE efforts materialize via, e.g. the serious game, implementation of smart river navigation, demonstration of the dynamic scheduling system, hydraulic tank model tests, and the further consultation with the stakeholders for steps towards market uptake.
In the logistics domain the NOVIMOVE transport model developed is unique in its capability of interfacing with and bringing together evaluation of the logistical, technological and ship domain innovations. The integrated analysis of the innovations that will be carried out with the model is advancing the state of the art in transport system performance analysis. Moreover, the serious game that is being developed based on the model provides new opportunities for education to students and industrial representatives. Also, the cargo reconstruction concept encompasses new ways of utilizing container capacity.
Considering the technological aspects, the smart river navigation system advances the state of the art by benefitting from a much higher level of information availability than is used so far. The detailed design of the underlying system is new and the upcoming real-life demonstration will provide insights beyond what is known so far. The work on the dynamic lock scheduling system moreover has led to innovative ideas on the scientifically fundamental level.
On the ship design side itself, progress beyond the state of the art has been made by considering a range of ship designs that take as a starting point the expectation that river conditions will in the future vary much more than in the past. The ship designs considered will to some extend be able to adapt the such changes. New experimental results have been obtained to gain quantitative insight in the potential of considered concepts. Besides this, operational aspects necessary to be considered in view of practical implementation have been identified.
In the last phase of NOVIMOVE the potential performance of combinations of NOVIMOVE innovations will be determined by studying the Rhine-Alpine corridor to identify also the potential wider societal implications in a quantitative way. NOVIMOVE is reaching out to stakeholders relevant for the research and relevant for the subsequent market uptake. Outreach and dissemination of the NOVIMOVE efforts materialize via, e.g. the serious game, implementation of smart river navigation, demonstration of the dynamic scheduling system, hydraulic tank model tests, and the further consultation with the stakeholders for steps towards market uptake.