Decarbonization of maritime transport through carbon-free fuel is a daunting and expensive process. New propulsion systems, such as wind-assisted, will contribute to fuel-savings. Still, whatever the pathway for a sustainable transition towards net zero emissions by 2050, more energy-efficient operations remain a prerequisite. This applies to the ship sailing as well as the port call processes. Efficient and viable voyage and port call optimization requires much increased cooperation between parties and overcoming several important barriers such as; charter parties and contracts enabling just in time arrivals and more explicit risk/benefit sharing; improved transparency and reduce cyber-security risks; reliable and efficient voyage and port call information sharing among all parties. Any new voyage optimization tool must take all these constraints into consideration and ensure full transparency on the arrival times to be agreed between the parties before the optimized route is activated. The goal of DYNAPORT is to develop new optimization and coordination tools for ports and ships that both reduce the ship's fuel consumption and increases port efficiency with at least 10%. KPIs will be developed to quantify and measure these savings. The tools will be built on information sharing through internationally accepted protocol standards and communication systems. To improve port efficiency as well as port approach safety, the system will integrate the port VTS in arrival and departure planning and execution. This goal is fully aligned with the Strategic research and innovation agenda for the partnership on Zero-Emission Waterborne Transport, underlining the lack of standardized technologies and infrastructure enabling operational integration with ports as one key barrier to faster decarbonization of maritime transport, but also with the IMO Strategy on the reduction of GHG emissions from ships, and wider initiatives by the EC, such as the European Green Deal.

The European maritime transport policy as well as national governments recognizes the importance of the waterborne transport systems as key elements for general and sustainable growth in Europe. In line with the EU Transport White Paper 30% of road freight over 300 km should shift to other modes such as rail or waterborne transport by 2030, and more than 50 % by 2050. So far, this ambition has failed spectacularly. In the period 1995 to 2016 total freight increased with approximately 30%. The share of road transport in intra-EU ton-km increased, whereas the share of short sea shipping (SSS) dropped. Inland had a slight decrease. Waterborne transport has a great potential to reduce road congestion as well as pollution from the transport sector. When used correctly, it is very energy efficient and new ship types can operate with a combination of electric batteries, fuel cells and, when necessary, highly efficient combustion engines, e.g. powered by LNG. The main objective of AEGIS is to develop a new waterborne transport system for Europe that leverages the benefits of ships and barges while overcoming the conventional problems like dependence on terminals, high transhipment costs, low speed and frequency and low automation in information processing. AEGIS intends to use new innovations from the area of connected and automated transport, including smaller and more flexible vessel types, automated cargo handling, autonomous ships, new cargo units and new digital technologies to regain the position that waterborne traditionally had in cargo transport. Ships are most efficient when the cargo holds are full. AEGIS will look for ways to attract new cargo, inbound as outbound, to waterborne transport. This requires new types of services, new business models and better logistics systems.