The RAMSSES project has the strategic objective to obtain recognition and an established role for advanced materials in the European maritime industry. To achieve this the project will demonstrate the benefits of new materials in thirteen industry led and market driven demonstrator cases along the entire maritime process chain from components through equipment and ship integration to repair. Those demonstrators will reach a high Technology Readiness Level between TRL 6 and 8 and will either be installed on shore under close to reality conditions or validated on board. The technical performance as well as life cycle cost efficiency and environmental impact will be assessed and validated by specific expert teams following common procedures and testing standards. The test program will be based on risk assessment and a widest possible use of existing test results and supervised by rule making bodies, such ensuring relevance for a commercial approval beyond the project. Test data as well as best practice procedures on design, qualification and production of new material solutions will be made available in a maritime test database and a central knowledge repository, thus allowing fast qualification and approval of similar maritime applications in future. RAMSSES also aims to improve the innovation capabilities of the European maritime sector by elaborating terms of reference of a future use of the test database and the knowledge repository beyond the project. In cooperation with other initiatives, it will contribute to the formation of a maritime materials innovation Platform including continuous technology transfer from and to other industry sectors.

Ro-ro ships are an important component of the global transportation system, but an increasing trend of ro-ro ship fires in recent years call for improved fire protection. From comprehensive ship operators’ experience and by participation in ongoing work for the European Maritime Safety Agency and the International Maritime Organization (IMO), critical aspects of ro-ro ship fire safety have been identified to form the scope of the project LASH FIRE. It aims to provide a recognized technical basis for the revision of international IMO regulations, which greatly enhances fire prevention and ensures management of fires on ro-ro ships without recourse to external intervention. This is done by developing and demonstrating operational and design solutions which strengthen the fire protection of ro-ro ships in all stages of a fire and which address current and future challenges, including regulatory issues. Twenty specific challenges have been identified, which will be addressed by new solutions developed and demonstrated with regards to performance and ship integration feasibility by system suppliers, researchers, ship owners and shipyards. For the solutions to be considered for regulatory uptake, their impact on risk reduction and cost will be assessed and advisory groups with operators and flag states will be established. Thereby, the project is expected to significantly strengthen the independent fire protection of ro-ro ships and to reduce the frequency of ro-ro ship fires by 35% and the number of fatalities by 45%.