Sustainable urban freight transport with autonomous zero-emission vessel>> modal shift from road to water

Programme 2014 - 2020 INTERREG VB North Sea

Date of latest update: 2025-08-16

Description

Description (EN):

The massive under-exploitation of inland waterways (IWW) in the North Sea Region, especially in and around urban environments, provides opportunities for technological innovations. This project aims to deploy zero-emission automated vessels that can do hourly traffic between the Urban Consolidation Centers outside the city and inner city hubs, focusing on the distribution of palletized goods and waste return.The average external cost (congestion, accidents, air pollution, climate, noise,...) for inland waterway transport (IWT) accounts for 3.9 € cent/tkm, whereas for road transport this is 70% higher [TU Delft, 2018]. However, w.r.t urban freight transport (UFT), vessels (< 300T) are currently not economically viable, already resulting in the demolishment of over 12% of small vessels (CEMT I-II) in the last decade. Crew costs for these vessels account for up to 60% of the total shipping costs. Increased automation will be critically important to ensure a sustainable and economically viable future on this scale. The AVATAR project aims to tackle those challenges by developing, testing and assessing adequate technologies and business models for urban autonomous zero-emission IWT. Through this, the project unlocks the economic potential of urban vessels and corresponding waterways, increases available solutions for full-cycle automation and sets up a sustainable supply chain model for urban goods distribution and waste return.

Achievements (EN):

The AVATAR project has tackled challenges of city freight distribution by developing, testing and assessing adequate technologies and business models for urban highly autonomous or automated zero-emission inland waterway transport solutions. New and/or improved green transport solutions have been realized: 1) Completion and testing of the 1 ton highly autonomous KUL Maverick vessel; 2) Building of the 25 ton payload AVATAR-vessel (highly automated; OHB, SEAFAR, E. Van Wingen, SSPA); 3) High-level automation (coordination) of multiple small TUD-RAS autonomous boats; 4) Development of a remote control system by UOL (remote communication with KUL-vessels and TUD-vessels); 5) As well for Hamburg and Ghent, transport and energy use cases have been developed in support of economic assessment studies, including the creation of support tools (decision trees). Besides succesful individual tests of the available urban freight vessels in AVATAR (Maverick, AVATAR new vessel, Green Wave, TUD RAS vessels), the AVATAR project created also the opportunity to combine technologies from different project partners. The KPI's and the guidelines for testing and real-life operations were finalized. Tests have been launched and have led to validated performance data. Reports of the testing of the Maverick, TUD RAS vessels and the AVATAR vessel are available. The economic assessment study (applied to Ghent and Hamburg) has led to the following output: market review, swot/pestel analysis, market study for selected use cases, economic assessment and societal effects, and the creation of a decision support tree. An energy use case has been worked out, with focus on distribution vessels sailing during daytime and charging the batteries at night (using an ICE CHP running on hydrogen). A hybrid control software for the hybrid AVATAR battery charge solutions has been developed. In order to connect the AVATAR vessel to the onshore charging installation (on H2), a charging station (pole) was developed. The TUD vision sensor box has been designed, developed and built during the project. Tests of the functions of the sensor box w.r.t. computer vision and AI technologies both on board of the TUD RAS model scale ships and the AVATAR vessel have been conducted. An overview of innovative transshipment techniques has been created. A master thesis has been finalized on the assessment of the efficient linkage between innovative transshipment techniques and last mile distribution. A report has been produced with guidelines about how an open source vessel concept can be set up and what are the current bottlenecks to deal with this. Research question in this report is whether the SEAFAR controlled AVATAR vessel can be controlled by other operators. A second report focuses on some European research projects on (highly) autonomous sailing leading to some lessons learned for the AVATAR project. Three demonstration events took place. The demonstration of TUD-RAS model scale boats has been realized in Delft in 11/2022. A demo took place in Leuven with the demonstration of the Maverick (04/2023). During the final AVATAR event in Ghent (06/2023), the new AVATAR vessel has been demonstrated to a wide variety of stakeholders from the public and private sector. The AVATAR website and AVATAR Linkedin played a very important role. In total, 101 Linkedin messages have been included and 86 news items are put on the AVATAR website. During several dissemination events (including 8 AVATAR conferences), project partners shared experience with industrial stakeholders, government representatives and the academic world. Expertise is also internationally shared through publications in scientific papers.

Website: http://www.northsearegion.eu/

Thematic information

Multimodal transport Logistics and freight transport

Specific Objective: Develop demonstrations of innovative and/or improved transport and logistics solutions with potential to move large volumes of freight away from long-distance road transportation

Thematic Objective: (07) promoting sustainable transport and removing bottlenecks in key network infrastructures by:

Investment Priority: (07c) developing and improving environmentally-friendly (including low-noise) and low-carbon transport systems, including inland waterways and maritime transport, ports, multimodal links and airport infrastructure, in order to promote sustainable regional and local mobility

Partners (10)

Lead Partner: POM Oost-Vlaanderen

Address: Woodrow Wilsonplein 2, 9000 Gent, Belgium

Legal status: public

Website: https://www.pomov.be/

Total budget: EUR 264 250.00

ERDF budget: EUR 132 125.00

KU Leuven

Name: KU Leuven

Address: Spoorwegstraat 12, 8200 Sint-Michiels, Belgium

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.kuleuven.be

Total budget: EUR 447 966.00

ERDF budget: EUR 223 983.00

GBER schemes / de minimis:

Delft University of Technology

Name: Delft University of Technology

Address: Mekelweg 2, 2628 CD Delft, Netherlands

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.mtt.tudelft.nl

Total budget: EUR 519 075.00

ERDF budget: EUR 259 537.00

E. Van Wingen NV

Name: E. Van Wingen NV

Address: Durmakker 27, 9940 Evergem, Belgium

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.vanwingen.be

Total budget: EUR 403 500.00

ERDF budget: EUR 201 750.00

Logistik-Initiative Hamburg Management GmbH

Name: Logistik-Initiative Hamburg Management GmbH

Address: Wexstraße 7, 20355 Hamburg, Germany

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.hamburg-logistik.net

Total budget: EUR 277 750.00

ERDF budget: EUR 138 875.00

Opleidingscentrum voor Hout en Bouw vzw

Name: Opleidingscentrum voor Hout en Bouw vzw

Address: Kippendonkstraat 7, B-9850 Deinze-Hansbeke, Belgium

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.revivak.eu

Total budget: EUR 245 000.00

ERDF budget: EUR 122 500.00

SEAFAR

Name: SEAFAR

Address: Schaliënstraat 3, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.seafar.eu

Total budget: EUR 219 500.00

ERDF budget: EUR 109 750.00

SSPA Sweden AB

Name: SSPA Sweden AB

Address: Chalmers Tvärgata 10, Box 24001, SE-400 22 Göteborg, Sweden

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.sspa.se

Total budget: EUR 152 000.00

ERDF budget: EUR 76 000.00

University of Oldenburg

Name: University of Oldenburg

Address: Ammerländer Heerstraße 114-118, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany

Legal status: public

Website: https://uol.de/sao

Total budget: EUR 169 000.00

ERDF budget: EUR 84 500.00

Urban Waterway Logistics

Name: Urban Waterway Logistics

Address: Kippendonkstraat 7, 9850 Deinze, Belgium

Legal status: private

Total budget: EUR 132 500.00

ERDF budget: EUR 66 250.00

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Katholieke University Leuven

Sustainable urban freight transport with autonomous zero-emission vessel>> modal shift from road to water

Partners and Projects info

POM East-Flanders

Sustainable urban freight transport with autonomous zero-emission vessel>> modal shift from road to water

Partners and Projects info

Delft University of Technology

Sustainable urban freight transport with autonomous zero-emission vessel>> modal shift from road to water

Partners and Projects info

E. Van Wingen

Sustainable urban freight transport with autonomous zero-emission vessel>> modal shift from road to water

Partners and Projects info

Logistics Initiative Hamburg

Sustainable urban freight transport with autonomous zero-emission vessel>> modal shift from road to water

Partners and Projects info

Education & Expertise Center Wood and Building

Sustainable urban freight transport with autonomous zero-emission vessel>> modal shift from road to water

Partners and Projects info

SEAFAR

Sustainable urban freight transport with autonomous zero-emission vessel>> modal shift from road to water

Partners and Projects info

SSPA Sweden AB

Sustainable urban freight transport with autonomous zero-emission vessel>> modal shift from road to water

Partners and Projects info

University of Oldenburg

Sustainable urban freight transport with autonomous zero-emission vessel>> modal shift from road to water

Partners and Projects info

Urban Waterway Logistics

Sustainable urban freight transport with autonomous zero-emission vessel>> modal shift from road to water

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Sustainable urban freight transport with autonomous zero-emission vessel>> modal shift from road to water

Project acronym: AVATAR

Project start date: 2020-05-01

Project end date: 2023-06-30

Project status: closed

Relevant subsequent projects:

Connected River
DT4GS, Horizon
FAST, Research institution
MAGPIE, Research institution
Renew, Horizon
INNOVATR
CUMULUS, Research institution
Smart waterway, Research institution
SYaDEL, VLAIO
IW-net, Horizon 2020
ST4W
AUTObarge, Horizon 2020
NOVIMOVE, Horizon 2020

Relevant linked projects:

NOVIMAR, Horizon 2020

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 2 830 541.00

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 1 415 270.00

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, .

Documents

Documents on this project are listed below, and organised by category. Please note field "Data source", attached to each document. Keep.eu users are free to use these documents as long as they mention the data source and keep.eu.

Reports

Best practice manual

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://northsearegion.eu/avatar

Publication date: 2024-10-30

Document date: 2023-09-27

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

City freight distribution with highly automated vessels – Economic assessment and scenario development for urban IWT market uptake

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://northsearegion.eu/avatar

Publication date: 2024-10-30

Document date: 2023-09-25

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Development of an open source vessel – Guidelines how to set up a conceptual approach of an open source fleet

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://northsearegion.eu/avatar

Publication date: 2024-10-30

Document date: 2023-06-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Investigation and applications of AI and Computer Vision technologies for autonomous ship systems

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://northsearegion.eu/avatar

Publication date: 2024-10-30

Document date: 2023-09-01

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Market review on city freight distribution using inland waterways

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://northsearegion.eu/avatar

Publication date: 2024-10-30

Document date: 2021-05-21

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Review of some European projects that focus on inland navigation and (highly) autonomous sailing – Identification of missing research gaps

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://northsearegion.eu/avatar

Publication date: 2024-10-30

Document date: 2023-06-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

The Maverick-vessel Assessment Report in an Urban Waterway

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://northsearegion.eu/avatar

Publication date: 2024-10-30

Document date: 2023-06-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Studies / surveys

Integrating the AVATAR-vessel and the Green Wave in an urban environment

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Study / survey

Data source: https://northsearegion.eu/avatar

Publication date: 2024-10-30

Document date: 2023-06-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Navigating the Last Mile on Water: Analysis of Synergies and Conflict of Goals between the AVATAR Project and Strategies from the Areas of Last Mile delivery, sustainability and mobility transition relevant for the City of Hamburg

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Study / survey

Data source: https://northsearegion.eu/avatar

Publication date: 2024-10-30

Document date: 2023-06-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 INTERREG VB North Sea

Latest month of project-partner-call data publication

2023-02

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

73 / 73 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

871 / 871 (100%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme. Achievements were retrieved by Interact from the Programme website (http://www.northsearegion.eu/), or a website directly linked from it, on 2021-09-20 and 2023-01-12.

The financial data featured in keep.eu for this programme, it's projects and its partners is not exact and should be taken as a reference only.

Languages

Contact Form

Sustainable urban freight transport with autonomous zero-emission vessel>> modal shift from road to water

Description

Thematic information

Partners (10)

Partners map

Summary

Documents

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Disclaimer