About the vision of using autonomous vessels in logistics

On the occasion of the General Assembly meeting of the Horizon Europe project SEAMLESS on 11 and 12 June 2024, DST hosted the project consortium in Duisburg and presented its broad research portfolio.

The consortium of the SEAMLESS project came together in Duisburg on the occasion of the third General Assembly meeting. (Photos: DST)

The consortium of the SEAMLESS research project, which is funded by the European research programme Horizon Europe, came together in Duisburg from 10 to 12 June to hold the third consortium meeting and conduct numerous workshops as part of the project work.

After an initial cozy get-together with dinner in Duisburg’s inner harbor district on 10 June, the General Assembly meeting commenced with welcoming remarks from the Port of Duisburg. Jan-Christoph Maass emphasized the importance of Duisburg as the capital of German inland shipping and home to Europe’s largest inland port.

Jan-Christoph Maass (Duisburger Hafen AG) welcomed the European consortium to Duisburg. (Photo: DST)

The partners discussed the current status of the SEAMLESS project and the next steps over two days. (Photo: DST)

The vision of the SEAMLESS project was refined with the help of workshops. (Photo: DST)

The objectives of the two SEAMLESS Demo Use Cases were discussed in small groups. (Photo: DST)

DST presented the SEAMLESS reference logistics system architecture it had developed at the event. (Photo: DST)

The traditional tour of the DST test facilities also took the guests to VeLABi. (Photo: DST)

The overarching vision of the SEAMLESS project, the objectives of the two demonstration cases, and the functional scope of the individual SEAMLESS innovations were then developed in various interactive workshop formats. For this purpose, the consortium came together in small groups and addressed various key questions. The aim of the workshops was to develop a collective understanding of the research project and its objectives. The ongoing work of the DST to define the numerous business, technical and logistical framework conditions that the various SEAMLESS innovations have to take into account with the help of a so-called reference system architecture also fits in with this.

After the first official day, Duisburger Hafen AG and DST invited the consortium to the headquarters of the Port of Duisburg, where the DST research vessel, ELLA, had also docked. There, the European guests learnt about the port area in Duisburg-Ruhrort and the history of the port location before boarding the ELLA and taking a look at the equipment of the research vessel.

The summer evening was rounded off with a cheerful port cruise with lots of interesting facts and trivia about the various port and terminal locations, a joint dinner on board, and many professional and personal discussions about the research project and beyond.

The SEAMLESS consortium also visited the ELLA test vessel. (Photo: DST)

The port cruise also provided an opportunity for professional and personal discussions. (Photo: ESI)

Dr Rupert Henn and his colleagues from the Autonomous Navigation department explained the equipment of the ELLA to the interested guests. (Photo: ESI)

Duisburg as a central inland navigation and port location met with keen interest from guests from all over Europe. (Photo: ESI)

During the port cruise on the Rhine, numerous Duisport terminals and other sights were visited. (Photo: ESI)

The consortium members spent a summer evening together on board the MS Rheinfels. (Foto: ESI)

As a continuation of the Water Mixing Ceremony at HaFoLa, representatives of SINTEF Ocean and NTUA brought water samples from their experimental basins. (Photo: DST)

Interim results of the project were presented and the upcoming work steps in the various work packages discussed. (Photo: DST)

HaFoLa was the ideal setting for the SEAMLESS project with its focus on land and on-board automation functions. (Photo: DST)

The SEAMLESS Reference Logistics System Architecture developed by DST plays an important role as the basis for further developments in the project. (Photo: ESI)

DST presented both the interim status of its work on the SEAMLESS reference logistics system architecture and on a concept overview of automated mooring systems in inland waterway transportation. In addition, interim results from the CoboTank, RAIN and MultiRELOAD research projects were presented at HaFoLa. The two-day consortium meeting was concluded with a tour of the Test and Control Center for Autonomous Inland Navigation, a demonstration of the remote control of the inland vessel “Ernst Kramer” from the Rhenus shipping company and a joint lunch.

In summary, the General Assembly meeting in Duisburg was a successful event that resulted in a joint vision of the SEAMLESS project and the demonstrators in addition to a general exchange on the current status. In addition, DST was able to present its extensive research equipment to the guests from its broad research portfolio, which extends far beyond mere shipbuilding testing, with the topics of logistics and automation.

The remote control of inland vessels was demonstrated using the “Ernst Kramer” from the Rhenus shipping company. (Photo: ESI)

Remote control and shore-based monitoring of autonomous inland vessels also plays an important role in the SEAMLESS project. (Photo: DST)
 

The SEAMLESS research project is developing freight feeder loop services with automated ships for both short-sea shipping and inland waterway transportation. Further information on the SEAMLESS research project can be found here: SEAMLESS

Contact:

Cyril Alias, Phone: +49 (0)203 / 99 369 52, Mail: alias@dst-org.de

The SEAMLESS project receives funding from Horizon Europe, the European Union’s key funding programme for research and innovation, under Grant Agreement No. 101096923.