The TwinShip consortium is spearheading an initiative to transform the maritime sector by creating an alliance of premier maritime technology, solution & service providers, ship design and shipping firms, classification societies, ports, software developers, and research and academic bodies. This collaboration is centered around a unique, open-source digital platform enriched with data and powered by domain knowledge-based advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence capabilities. By introducing a Digital Twin (DT) enabled Decision Support System (DSS) in the same digital platform, TwinShip is setting a course for the maritime industry's rapid digital and environmental transformation. The project sets ambitious benchmarks for reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions in international shipping, aiming for a 30-40% reduction by 2030, 80-90% by 2040, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2045, all relative to 2008 levels by utilizing its Pilot Vessels and Futuristic Unmanned Vessel Concept. This initiative focuses on leveraging both existing and emergent clean fuels and technologies, prioritizing renewable energy sources, and the implementation of unmanned vessels. The TwinShip DT-enabled DSS is crafted to navigate the industry toward achieving these significant environmental targets, demonstrating the consortium's dedication to fostering sustainability and pushing the boundaries of innovation.

The aim of the SEAFAIRER project is to demonstrate, at Technology Readiness Level (TRL 7), the production of improved intermediate biofuels followed by processing in existing refinery infrastructure to deliver climatepositive drop-in biofuels for maritime transport. The feedstock (biogenic waste residues) will be transported in short distances to decentralised vertical intermediate pyrolysis-based reactor (VINTER) units. The SEAFAIRER project will collect, characterise and process 3 different residual biomass feedstocks: (i) rice husk from the Valencia region, Spain; (ii) biowaste sieving material from Bavaria in Germany; and (iii) agave bagasse from southern Mexico. These feedstocks have been strategically selected from exclusively fair and residual sources without indirect land use change (iLUC) issues. The VINTER unit will convert the biomass through a single-stage intermediate pyrolysis and post-reforming process into three main products: biochar, raw oil (intermediate biofuel) and syngas. The high-quality biochar is suitable for European Biochar Certification (EBC) as carbon sink with vast agricultural and industrial applications. The carbon sink will play a crucial role to achieve the climate targets of the maritime transport sector. At commercial scale, the intermediate biofuel, which has a high energy density (approx. 32 to 36 MJ/kg), branches out into two market entry pathways that leverage existing refinery infrastructure: Pathway A is designed to cover the immediate biofuel needs of the industrial maritime shipping sector, which is under considerable regulatory pressure and has strict GHG reduction/decarbonisation targets, such as the ones set out in FuelEU Maritime. This pathway will target direct blends (B10 to B30) of intermediate biofuel (VINTER raw oil) on par with Very Low Sulfur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) according to the ISO 8217:2017 quality thresholds for marine fuels (cf. Table 4). Pathway B targets the medium- to long-term demands of the maritime industrial shipping sector. In this case, the intermediate biofuel will be upgraded via hydrodeoxygenation (HDO), targeting higher blending capacity up to pure drop-in fuel quality (B50 to B100), on par with Marine Diesel Oil (MDO) according to the ISO 8217:2017 quality thresholds for marine fuels.

BOOSTLOG Vision is transforming European freight transport and logistics R&I ecosystem to perform optimally boosting impact generation out of R&I investment contributing to i) EU policy objectives towards climate neutrality, pollution, congestion and noise reduction, free movement of goods, internal security, digital transformation of logistics chains and data sharing logistics ecosystems and ii) companies sustainability and competitiveness generating value for society. BOOSTLOG has identified 4 main areas of action: i) increase visibility and support valorisation of R&I project Results, Outcomes and Implementation Cases in the freight transport and logistics field ii) develope an implement valorization strategies and guidelines to speed up the technological and organisational innovation uptake, including the creation of the Innovation Marketplace and issue recommendations to increase impact of R&I public funding, iii) Define high potential & priority R&I gaps to make efficient uses of R&I investments and iv) Strengthen R&I impacts communication and Stakeholders engagement in the innovation process. BOOSTLOG will: i) map and assess around 150 EU-funded R&D since FP5 in different freight transport and logistics domains (i.e. the Logistics Clouds), ii) Increase the visibility of projects main results, outputs and potential implementation cases through ALICE Knowledge Platform, iii) develop at least 8 comprehensive and industry actionable reports starting with: a) urban logistics, b) logistics nodes, c) multimodal freight, corridors & transport networks d) freight and logistics data sharing, e) logistics coordination & collaboration, vi) modularization and transhipment to share progress made and highlight the impact achieved through R&I projects, iv) develop valorisation strategies and guidelines for public R&I uptake, v) create the reference innovation marketplace for R&I uptake and vi) identify high priority and potential R&I gaps that need to be prioritiezed in future R&I actions.