- Samskip has announced the project Seashuttle to develop autonomous, zero-emissions container ships
- A grant of €6 million has been awarded by Norwegian government money to Project SeaShuttle and has also received funding from various agencies
- Seashuttle is one of six initiatives included in ‘PILOT-E’ with an emphasis towards green shipping
Samskip has taken the lead in an ambitious initiative to develop autonomous, zero-emissions container ships that also competes in cost.
Project Seashuttle
Europe’s largest multimodal operator has been named lead partner in ‘Seashuttle’, a project seeking to bring emissions-free, autonomous container ships to market that also operate at a profit.
The announcement coincides with the award of €6 million of Norwegian government money to Project SeaShuttle to take forward development of two all-electric ships slated to connect Poland, Swedish west coast ports and the Oslo fjord. The vessels will draw on state-of-the-art hydrogen fuel cells for their propulsion power.
PILOT-E initiative
Seashuttle is one of six initiatives included in ‘PILOT-E’, a €100 million-plus scheme involving the Research Council, Innovation Norway and Enova, aiming to bring solutions for the climate-neutral industries of the future to market more quickly. Seashuttle funding came from four Norwegian ministries that include Food and Fishing; Climate and Environment; Petroleum and Energy; and Transport and Communications.
Next-gen sustainable shipping
Are Grathen, MD Samskip Norway said, “Samskip is delighted to take the lead in the project to develop next-generation sustainable shortsea shipping. What distinguishes this project and will be key to its success is the combination of fuel and technology that will make it cost competitive with existing solutions. With our trusted project partners, we are convinced that such ambitions are realistic”.
He further added, “Aspirations for sustainability are best encouraged by door-to-door services that provided cost-effective and scalable competition with truck-ferry options, feeding into a pan-European distribution network. Automation of key shipboard activities would also bring cost savings. Exporters increasingly seek lower and even zero emissions transport solutions, but they need to be assured on reliability, frequency, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Once operational, there is no reason why zero emissions ships should not target the 2,000 truckloads passing through Norwegian ports every day”.
Moving towards green shipping
Other Seashuttle partners include logistics consultant FlowChange, technology group Kongsberg Maritime, hydrogen integrator HYON and Massterly, a Kongsberg Maritime/Wilhelmsen venture developing autonomous vessel solutions.
Anita Krohn Traaseth, CEO, Innovation Norway said, “Green shipping is a sector where Norway can be a world leader in new and green technology. The conversion is underway, for example with many electric ferries. This year’s PILOT-E awards show that there are exciting plans to make shipping more environmentally friendly”.
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Source: Samskip
