IW-NET

IW-NET (Innovation-driven Collaborative European Inland Waterways Transport Network) is funded in H2020 under Grant Agreement No. 861377. The project started in May 2020 and is running until October 2023. It aims at improving the efficiency, competitiveness, and reliability of European Inland Waterway Transport (IWT), addressing IWT operations in different regions all over Europe – in particular rivers Danube, Spree/Oder and Weser, and the regions of Brussels and Ghent.

At the core of the IW-NET concept are seven IWT Modal Shift Enablers (MSEs), each motivated by different IW geographical or market settings and aligned with the IW-NET Innovation Framework. These MSEs are supported by an Open IWT support Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure and are turned into formal MSE requirements specifications and simulation-based designs.
The MSEs address various aspects of the IWT business model, including sustainable cooperation between suppliers and consumers of IWT services, data-driven collaborative optimization of IWT operations, improved navigability under variable conditions with innovative vessel designs, collaborative berth planning and shore power utilization, advanced location accuracies via GALILEO services, and innovative IW fleet for urban distribution, including autonomous navigation and platooning.
IW-NET develops cloud-deployed, flexible, and low-cost solutions for improving the accuracy, reliability, resilience, responsiveness, adaptability, and agility of IWT processes. These enablers are initially studied by simulation and subsequently specified and represented in an IWT Innovation Framework.
IW-NET provides an innovative approach to improving inland navigation in Europe. By addressing key challenges and leveraging emerging technologies, the project has the potential to significantly enhance the efficiency, competitiveness, and sustainability of IWT services. It fosters a modal shift towards IWT as a sustainable transport mode and thus supports the EC’s ambitions to reduce CO2 emissions from logistics operations. Furthermore, it facilitates smooth and efficient integration of IWT in multimodal transport chains, and improves the IWT chains’ resilience.

IW-NET covers relevant topics in IWT in a number of european regions through practical approaches in close cooperation with stakeholders:
– Tools to access Danube water levels and new hull types to improve navigability under uncertain water conditions
– Simulations to develop optimized strategies to reduce bottlenecks (locks, bridges, narrow fairways)
– Innovative digital solutions (online registrations of port stays, access to on-shore power)
– Innovative IWT solutions for the urban last mile
– Innovative vessels for urban transport using pioneering concepts (autonomous navigation, platooning, improved cargo tracking)
– Dynamic simulation of port operations and optimized revenue management strategies
– GALILEO services for advanced driver assistance
Consequently, IW-NET is of outstanding relevance for IWT in various fields. As the solutions are developed together with practitioners and decision makers as well as authorities and politics, they have considerable impact on future IWT scenarios and contribute to optimized and sustainable future IWT.