Zero Emission Sea Transporter

Project Overview:

The shipping industry, and subsequently the Maritime sector in general, is facing an unprecedented deep decarbonisation challenge. The International Maritime Organization has enforced strict Green House Gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets. Although it is important to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors, such as long-distance shipping, it is equally important to electrify other (easy-to-abate) sectors and operations (such as short-sea routes or domestic shipping). In fact, short-sea shipping corresponds to 13% with respect to the total shipping emissions in the world, and 15% in the EU. We believe that small vessels will eventually be included in follow-up legislation due to their significant emissions contribution, considering that the emissions generated due to their proximity to the coast mainly affect coastal zones and cities. Therefore, the impact on local health and quality of life is far more significant compared to long-distance shipping. The overall objective of ZEST is to construct a zero-emissions vessel to address the decarbonization challenges of the local coastal fleet of Cyprus. We envision that a realistic solution for short-sea routes is a fully electric vessel where batteries are charged from RES monitored and controlled by an innovative power and energy management system coupled with its digital twin. The project’s main outcome will be a testbed and a proof that such design & build activities are possible in Cyprus, using national knowhow of industrial and research organizations and will be further codeveloped through the project. The project will bridge the gap between industry and research. ZEST is a flagship project, and it will be the initial step towards our efforts to achieve this transformation.

Partners Involved:

RIF Project ID: CODEVELOP-GT/0322/0029