FOREMAST

TITLE OF THE PROJECT:

FOREMAST: Freight volumes transfer from Road to waterborne transport using zero-EMission Automated Small and flexible vessel protoTypes

GENERAL DATA:

Program: HORIZONTE EUROPE EU
Reference: 101138261
Date of RESOLUTION: 21/11/2023
Date of execution: 01/01/2024-31/12/2026

PRESENTATION AND OBJECTIVES:

The FOREMAST project responds to the need for cleaner logistics through the development of automated, small, flexible, zero-emission prototype vessels, known as ‘SFAZ’. These vessels, which will be created under the project, seek to transform urban and coastal logistics by reducing road congestion, lowering emissions and improving accessibility.

FOREMAST solutions will be developed and validated in three regional Living Labs (LLs) using existing experimental vessels. Two physical LLs will be established in coastal and inland urban regions with high congestion – Ghent (Belgium) and Caen (France) – to guide, test and demonstrate FOREMAST solutions through SFAZ prototypes integrated in Automated Smart Terminals within optimized logistics networks. A third LL, of a virtual nature, in the region of Galati (Romania), will be used to demonstrate the replicability of these solutions.

In the FOREMAST project, ITA leads the development of a virtual model connected to artificial intelligence-based traffic simulations of intelligent vessels. By integrating real-time vessel and infrastructure data, this model supports decision making on modal shift from road to inland waterway transport (IWT). This makes it possible to identify the conditions under which such a shift improves operational efficiency, reduces environmental impact and favors the integration of inland navigation into multimodal logistics chains.

PARTICIPATING ENTITIES:

INLECOM GROUP (INLE)

OPLEIDINGSCENTRUM VOOR HOUT EN BOUW VZW (OHB)

ABB BUSINESS SERVICE SPOLKA Z OGRANICZONA ODPOWIEDZIALNOSCIA (ABBBS)

ABB OY (ABBFI)

SEAFAR (SEAFAR)

CIRCOE (CIRCOE)

NEAC INDUSTRY (NEAC)

PNO INNOVATION SL (PNO)

INSTITUTO TECNOLOGICO DE ARAGON (ITA)

KONNECTA SYSTEMS IKE (KNT)

VLTN BV (VLTN)

P&E LOWLANDS B.V. (PEL)

UNIVERSITATEA DUNAREA DE JOS DIN GALATI (UGAL)

MAGELLAN CIRCLE – EUROPEAN AFFAIRS CONSULTANCY LDA (MAG)

EUROPEAN INLAND WATERWAY TRANSPORT (IWT) PLATFORM (IWT)

UNIVERSITEIT GENT (UGent)

BUDGET:

TOTAL PROJECT BUDGET: 4,981,706.25 €
TOTAL ITA BUDGET: 236,500 €.

FINANCING:

TOTAL PROJECT GRANT: 4,981,70625 €
TOTAL ITA GRANT: 236,500 €.

“FOREMAST Project No 101138261 is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Climate Infrasetructure and Environment Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.”

The FOREMAST project whose reference is 101138261 has been 100% funded by the EU – Horizon Europe.

WEBSITE:

https://foremast.eu/