Abstract
Horizon Europe, the European Union's flagship research and innovation program, has been at the forefront of
funding and fostering advancements in the autonomous shipping domain. This presentation aims to provide a
comprehensive retrospective on some of the completed Horizon Europe projects related to autonomous ships and
contextualize these developments within the framework of new and ongoing initiatives. Over the past decade,
Horizon 2020 has significantly contributed to the progress of autonomous maritime technologies through several
key projects such as AUTOSHIP [1] and AEGIS [2], that have focused on various aspects of the autonomous ship,
from integrating sophisticated collision avoidance algorithms, to developing remote operation centres, these projects have laid the foundation for ongoing Horizon Europe initiatives that continue to push the boundaries of maritime autonomy. The presentation will address the ongoing projects SEAMLESS [3] and AUTOFLEX that address
the challenges and opportunities presented by autonomous maritime systems, aiming to enhance operational efficiency, safety, and sustainability, expanding the scope from the ship and its systems, to investigate how autonomous ships can play a key role in multi-modal transport systems of the future.
[1] Nordahl, H., et al: AUTOSHIP [D8.2] Roadmap for Autonomous ship adoption and development (2023),
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.12487.51369
[2] Tangstad, E., et al.: AEGIS D2.6: Roadmap for automated waterborne transport (2023), DOI
10.13140/RG.2.2.24186.47040
[3] Hendrik Jungen, Patrick Specht, Jakob Ovens, Thorsten Friedrich, et al.: "SEAMLESS deliverable D2.1:
State-of-the-art and baseline for the SEAMLESS Use Cases", February 2022.
funding and fostering advancements in the autonomous shipping domain. This presentation aims to provide a
comprehensive retrospective on some of the completed Horizon Europe projects related to autonomous ships and
contextualize these developments within the framework of new and ongoing initiatives. Over the past decade,
Horizon 2020 has significantly contributed to the progress of autonomous maritime technologies through several
key projects such as AUTOSHIP [1] and AEGIS [2], that have focused on various aspects of the autonomous ship,
from integrating sophisticated collision avoidance algorithms, to developing remote operation centres, these projects have laid the foundation for ongoing Horizon Europe initiatives that continue to push the boundaries of maritime autonomy. The presentation will address the ongoing projects SEAMLESS [3] and AUTOFLEX that address
the challenges and opportunities presented by autonomous maritime systems, aiming to enhance operational efficiency, safety, and sustainability, expanding the scope from the ship and its systems, to investigate how autonomous ships can play a key role in multi-modal transport systems of the future.
[1] Nordahl, H., et al: AUTOSHIP [D8.2] Roadmap for Autonomous ship adoption and development (2023),
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.12487.51369
[2] Tangstad, E., et al.: AEGIS D2.6: Roadmap for automated waterborne transport (2023), DOI
10.13140/RG.2.2.24186.47040
[3] Hendrik Jungen, Patrick Specht, Jakob Ovens, Thorsten Friedrich, et al.: "SEAMLESS deliverable D2.1:
State-of-the-art and baseline for the SEAMLESS Use Cases", February 2022.
