The specific challenge for waterborne transport call MG4.1 is, “To support developments that make new and existing vessels…more efficient and less polluting”. A sound way to support developments is, to demonstrate solutions that are sufficiently close to market so that ship owners will consider these in their future investment plans. Following this reasoning LeanShips will execute 8 demonstration actions that combine technologies for efficient, less polluting new/retrofitted vessels with end users’ requirements. Demonstrators were selected for their end-user commitment (high realisation chance), impact on energy use/emissions, EU-relevance, innovativeness and targeted-TRL at the project end. Selected technologies (TRL3-4 and higher) address engines/fuels/drive trains, hull/propulsors, energy systems/emission abatement technologies. Technologies are demonstrated mostly at full-scale and evidence is provided on energy and emission performance in operational environments. The LeanShips partnership contains ship owners, shipyards and equipment suppliers, in total 48 partners from industry (81%) and other organisations. Industry has a leading role in each demonstrator. Target markets are the smaller-midsized ships for intra-European waterborne transport, vessels for offshore operations and the leisure/cruise market. First impact estimates show fuel saving of up to 25 %, CO2 at least up to 25%, and SOx/NOx/PM 10-100%. These estimates will be updated during the project. First market potential estimates for the LeanShips partnership and for markets beyond the partnership are promising. Project activities are structured into 3 layers: Basis layer with 8 focused demonstrators (WP 04-11), Integration layer with QA, Innovation Platform and Guide to Innovation (WP02), Dissemination and Market-uptake (WP03), and top Management layer (WP01), in total 11 Work Packages. The demonstrators represent an industry investment of ca. M€ 57, the required funding is M€ 17,25.

The Apollo project will mature and demonstrate in operational environment, the disruptive installation of a dual fuel ammonia engine in an offshore supply vessel to ammonia operation reducing emissions by 70%. The project is developed to closely answer the HORIZON-CL5-2022-D5-01-04 topic of transformation of the existing fleet towards greener operations through retrofitting (ZEWT Partnership). The specific objectives include: 1) Successful large-scale demonstration of the use of dual-fuel ICE (ammonia-based) in an existing vessel; 2) Complete first classification under DNV “Gas fuelled, Ammonia”; 3) 70% reduction of CO2 emissions and NOx emissions below 2.4 g/kWh from vessel operations; 4) Complete retrofitting solution to operate on ammonia, through development of safe ammonia storage and operation, including both deck load or below deck tanks; 5) Demonstrate the retrofit in replicators in other two vessels with different use (dredging and offshore construction) and validate feasibility for scaling; 6) Support to the expansion of the ammonia bunkering network in the North Sea and beyond, obtain 100% green ammonia for the project’s needs; 7) Validated business case for ammonia as a ship fuel with operational expenditures <130% from baseline by project end. The Apollo solution will be flexible, so ship owners, ship designers, shipyards, classification agencies and insurance companies can quickly adopt it into their decision-making processes. The consortium will prepare the business case for ammonia in the waterborne transport sector, from the production of green ammonia to its use in different ships on the European scale.

DuneFront will demonstrate blue-grey coastal and marine infrastructure as a new generation of sustainable, inclusive, and aesthetic solution to ensure coastal safety under climate change. The project has the ambition to co-create hybrid Dune-Dike Nature Based Solutions (DD-hybrid NbS) that can efficiently integrate static hard infrastructure with adaptive, dynamic aeolian and vegetated sediments. Mainstreaming biodiversity into marine and coastal DD-hybrid NbS is essential to jointly safeguard human assets, blue economy activities and biodiversity gain and restoration. DuneFront will achieve this challenge by identifying key biological, physical, and socio-economic boundary conditions, and by translating evidence on biodiversity, morphodynamics and safety from 12 Demonstrators along vulnerable European coasts into new roadmaps for DD-hybrid NbS design and installation. The integration of this multidisciplinary knowledge into physical and digital twins will pilot the development of a Decision-Support-System, coastal and marine infrastructure Blueprints, and the installation of new prototypes along one of the most recreated coasts. DuneFront will provide a wide range of stakeholders with design, installation and market-ripe business plans for DD-hybrid NbS. Translation of new research and innovations into the DuneFront targeted actions will occur within a full co-creation-procedure.