Autonomous vessels in short sea shipping and inland waterways

Quel est l’objet de cet appel ?

The call funds demonstrations of remotely controlled and fully autonomous vessels in short sea shipping and inland navigation, including safety, cybersecurity and economic viability. It targets the waterborne industry and its supply chain.

Que finance cet appel ?

Scope

This Horizon Innovation Action supports demonstrations of remotely controlled and fully autonomous vessels, aiming at commercial maturity of autonomous surface ships.

Expected activities

• Demonstrate two different remotely controlled vessels without seafarers on board, with at least one short sea shipping vessel.
• Demonstrate two different fully autonomous operations, with at least one inland waterway vessel.
• Cover the whole voyage, including port calls, mooring, berthing, possible offshore charging and passing through locks in all weather conditions, plus predictive maintenance and self-diagnostics.
• Identify implementation bottlenecks and map infrastructure and investment needs for wide roll-out.
• Manage cyber risks, address standardisation and data integrity, and the risk of unlawful data transfer outside the EU/EEA.
• Address safety, upskilling of port and vessel operators, net carbon impact, and the economic viability of the solutions.

Expected outcomes

Demonstration of remote-controlled operation of crewless vessels, concepts for fully autonomous ships, greater market confidence in remote and automated navigation, and contributions to EU port, waterborne industry and artificial intelligence strategies. Activities are expected to reach TRL 7 by the end of the project.

Qu’attend-on des propositions ?

• Proposals are encouraged to prioritise shipyards, equipment manufacturers and providers located and/or manufacturing in the EU and EEA.
• Proposals are expected to explain their contribution to EU added value and strategic autonomy.

Quelle est la date limite ?

14 avril 2027 (159 jours)

14 April 2027 (single-stage submission). Planned opening date: 15 December 2026.