There is no doubt that the offshore renewable energy exploitation has a great potential to grow, and it will greatly help reach climate goals and CO2 reduction levels and are likely to secure Europe’s technical and economic competitiveness. However, the open sea is a very aggressive environment with may largely affect the maintenance costs of the installations and therefore the overall cost of offshore energy generation. The owners of offshore assets are well aware of that and are paying a steep price. A massive amount of steel goes into those assets, and all this metal is subject to degradation, which explains why corrosion accounts for approximately 60% of offshore maintenance cost. Preventive maintenance is not just expensive but also reduces the operating life of the assets. Despite the convenient immunity to corrosion of Fibre Reinforced Polymers (FRP), the use of those materials for large marine structures is limited to secondary components. The main objective of the FIBREGY project is to enable the extensive use of FRP materials in the structure of the next generation of large Renewable Energy Offshore Platforms (REOPs) by overcoming the above mentioned challenges. In order to achieve this objective, the project will develop, qualify and audit innovative FRP materials for offshore applications, elaborate new design procedures and guidelines, generate efficient production, inspection and monitoring methodologies, and validate and demonstrate advanced software analysis tools. Clear performance indicators will be designed and applied in the evaluation of two existing REOPs concepts to be re-engineered in FRP in the project. Finally, the different technologies generated in FIBREGY will be demonstrated by using advanced simulation techniques and building a real-scale prototype to validate the materials, tools, solutions, procedures and guidelines to be developed in FIBREGY.

The main objective of the FIBRESHIP project is to create a new EU-market to build complete large-length ships in FRP (Fibre-Reinforced Polymers) enabling its massive application. In order to achieve this objective, the project will develop, identify and qualify FRP materials for different applications in particular for long-term structural strength and fire resistance. In addition to this, its massive application also requires elaborating innovative design procedures and guidelines supported on new validated software analysis tools. Standardized efficient production methodologies will be implemented and demonstrated by delivering a proof of concept. Clear performance indicators will be designed and applied in the evaluation of three targeted vessels categories (container ship, ferry and fishing research vessel) to be developed within the project. The project will also analyze the life cycle cost benefits of incorporating FRP materials in large-length ships, developing a business plan for the different actors in the value chain. The business plan will cover the different phases of the life cycle from design, engineering, material production and shipbuilding to the final dismantling of the vessel. The use of FRP materials in large-length ships will imply a significant weight reduction (about 30%) and a relevant impact in fuel saving, ship stability, environmental impact (reducing greenhouse gas emissions and underwater noise), and increase of cargo capacity. On the other hand, FRP materials are immune to corrosion and have a better performance under fatigue type loads, what means better life performance and reduced maintenance costs. The mid-term impact is estimated in about 5% of the total shipbuilding market in Europe (turnover about €2.0Bn), and it is envisaged a long term impact of up to 54.000 new direct jobs. Furthermore, it is estimated that the European shipping companies could deduct up to €1Bn/year cost with the adoption of the proposed FRP shipbuilding technology.

Container terminals serve thousands of ships, store billions of TEUs, compete to serve the next vessel, and introduction of larger ships will result in new challenges. While advances have been made in terminal automation (Automated Ground Vehicle (AGV), gate control, yard cranes, etc.), with current technologies terminals are limited by their ability to maintain growth and quality of service. To address these trends and demands the Robotic Container Management System (RCMS) has been developed. As a contribution to its implementation, Project main objectives are: A. to develop a detailed simulation model for RCMS to be evaluated in 2 Terminals (Gdansk and Koper) plus a set of generic simulation tools to be used in all terminals; B. to assess and compare RCMS performance with other state-of-the-art container handling technologies for 2 Terminals (Gdansk and Koper) with different features; C. to assess and compare RCMS performance with other state-of-the-art container handling technologies for 2 ports (Gdansk and Koper), with focus on comparison between RCMS solution and port surface extension; D. to assess impact of RCMS in a simulated transport network in terms of efficiency, reliability, capacity, performance indicators (travel times, average speed, etc.) and impacts (noise and air pollution) in the Port of La Spezia. Main results will be: a well-defined RCMS control logic; a dynamic physical AGV model to test AGV behavior; definition of operational procedures for RCMS; a generic simulation tool enabling testing of RCMS for various sites by non-simulation experts; an efficient entire terminal design with RCMS; a set of validated and quantified benefits of RCMS compared to commonly used handling systems; a set of Key Performances Indicators of the transport network using RCMS. Consortium is made by leading industries, SMEs, Research/Academic Centers and 3 ports/terminals as End-users. Project duration is 21 months and estimated eligible costs are 4 million €

To ensure global competitiveness of small and medium European shipyards, a step change is needed. The key to accomplish this relies on overcoming high production costs and low repeatable quality processes which currently inhibit mass production of Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) ship parts. FIBRE4YARDS will bring a cost-efficient, digitized, automated and modular FRP vessel production approach to increase EU shipbuilders’ competitiveness. FIBRE4YARDS’ objective is to match end-users’ needs with targeted advanced production technologies (adaptive molds, ATP/AFP, 3D printing, curved pultrusion profiles, hot stamping, innovative composite connections) from other competitive industrial sectors, and to transfer, adapt and combine them to improve FRP shipyards’ production and maintenance, in a Shipyard 4.0 environment. Real-scale demonstrators will be designed and manufactured to prove feasibility of technologies. Based on the targeted technologies, design and engineering of small/medium-length FRP vessels will be assessed using advanced computational tools. Compliance with the regulatory framework will be ensured, and the necessary personnel training will be provided. All within validated and viable business models targeting a circular and resource efficient maritime sector. This will lead to an improved cost effectiveness of European shipyards and their supply chain, an increased turn-over and a growth of jobs with new 21st century skillsets. Consortium’s high number of SMEs and a FRP shipyard, facilitate direct exploitation in the targeted supply chain. A robust cost-benefit analysis for stakeholders, business plans for successful commercialization and market uptake will be provided, specifically recommending an adequate IPR protection strategy. Environmental impact diminution is achieved through weight reduction (less fuel consumption), recyclable materials, energy efficient production and addressing noise pollution. The 36 months project requests 5 941 720 € funding.