Autonomous Inland Shipping

Autonomous Inland Shipping (AIS) could aid to solve a multitude of socio-economic problems. Not the least, a sustainable solution needs to be found for the increasing logistical transport sector – Europe expects a 50% increase of cargo in EU ports by 2030. However, one of the main goals of the European Commission is to tackle climate change. Therefore, the EC wants, amongst others, to shift 30% of road freight over 300 kilometers towards rail and water-borne transport in 2030 and by more than 50% in 2050. This shift will not only tackle CO2 emission, but also help to resolve road-congestion problems. Unfortunately, the inland shipping sector currently suffers from an outflow of small inland vessels and lack of investment in new vessels due to the competition with cheaper and more flexible road and rail transport. An important factor is the crew cost, which can easily rise up to 60% of the total transportation cost. Taken this into account, AIS will make inland waterways competitive again and help to make the logistical transport sector greener. The interdisciplinary needs required for the realization of AIS cannot be underestimated and definitely warrant a large research and training network. Challenges to be addressed can be briefly described as follows: 1. Raising the level of autonomy of inland vessels by improving their current design with the introduction of smart solutions (perception, control and communication). This includes both functional requirements (i.e. how to make vessels automated, smart and interconnected such that they can perform their task as intended?) as well as non-functional requirements (i.e. how to make autonomous vessels safer, more efficient, greener, etc.?). 2. Improve and show the socio-economic potential of smart, autonomous inland shipping with realistic business cases (CAPEX/OPEX), while addressing specific legal issues which, when unsolved, would be a barrier for the out roll of smart inland waterways. 3. Evaluate the operational performance of AIS in several real-life application cases.Overall, the training of young researchers and personnel involved in the building and operation of smart inland waterways is deemed necessary for the future of Europe.

Keywords:Autonomous Inland Shipping, smart inland waterways

Disciplines:Marine engineering not elsewhere classified