The FIT-HORIZONS project will result in six virtual demonstrations, one for each of the six ship types described in the Zero Emission Waterborne Transport’s (ZEWT) Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda: inland, short sea, long distance, cruise, ferries, and offshore vessels.
An optimised retrofit design for each ship will be developed, based on existing vessels in operation, by considering diverse decarbonisation solutions such as: alternative fuels and electrification, hull and propulsor modifications, wind-assisted ship propulsion systems (WASP), and air lubrication systems (ALS). The solutions will be selected holistically and will be representative for each ship type. The designs will be tested virtually in relevant simulated environmental conditions and realistic operational profiles.
By the end of the project, a total system maturity of the design tool environment of TRL7-8 will be achieved. New business models and strategies will also be defined to bring retrofit technologies to the market faster, including recommendations to accelerate regulatory approval processes of retrofits and best practice guidance for retrofitting. The flexible design environment will be validated together with ship designers, ship owners, ship operators, and ship classification organisations, and will be available by the end of 2029.
SINTEF Ocean coordinates the project and conducts numerical modelling and analysis, as well as laboratory experiments.
