Abstract
An overview of the proposed innovations of the TwinShip Horizon Europe project (www.Twin-Ship.eu) is presented in this paper. The first part of the paper discusses the respective challenges in the shipping industry towards digital twin (DT) type technology development. The second part is consisting the utilization for DT models under the Decision Support System (DSS) with various levels of simulations, including voyage optimization, life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) and environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the existing (pilot vessels) as well as for possible fuel vessels with the current and future green fuel and technologies. During the pilot vessel demonstration period, an expected emission reduction of 20–30% is expected to be achieved due to the voyage optimization type application. It is also expected that this project will support the achievement of the GHG reduction targets of 30–40% by 2030, and 80–90% by 2040 (compared to 2008 levels), with the final goal of net-zero emissions by 2045. These proposed targets are to be achieved by considering both existing and emerging green fuels and modern technologies, alongside their development over the next 20 to 25 years, for retrofit and new builds. Furthermore, a significant contribution from renewable energy solutions and the deployment of an unmanned net-zero-emission vessel concept as a futuristic vessel are expected during this decarbonization journey in shipping.