A new European partnership is set to help shipping companies overcome one of the industry’s biggest climate challenges: how to decarbonize the existing fleet quickly, safely and cost-effectively.
The new FIT-HORIZONS project brings together 19 leading marine companies, researchers, universities, software developers and technology providers from across Europe to develop an intelligent and flexible retrofit design environment for low- and zero-emission shipping.
Coordinated by SINTEF Ocean and with approximately €4 million in EU funding, the project aims to simplify and accelerate modernization decisions for shipowners by combining advanced simulation tools, AI-powered modeling and operational data under one comprehensive design framework.
Practical tools for carbon removal
The marine sector currently accounts for about 3% of global carbon dioxide emissions. While new zero-emission ships are entering the market, most ships operating today are expected to remain in service for decades. Therefore, re-equipping the existing fleet is essential to achieving international climate goals.
“Shipping needs practical pathways to decarbonisation now, not just in the future. FIT-HORIZONS will help the industry make better retrofit decisions by understanding how different technologies interact on board. Our ambition is to reduce uncertainty and accelerate the transition from analysis to implementation,” says FIT-HORIZONS Coordinator, Dr Kurush Kochan, Special Advisor at SINTEF Ocean.
The project will develop and validate a flexible design environment capable of evaluating multiple retrofit technologies simultaneously, including alternative fuels, electrification, wind-assisted propulsion systems, air lubrication systems, chassis modifications, and energy efficiency solutions.
Rather than evaluating technologies separately, the FIT-HORIZONS platform will analyze how combinations of technologies perform together under realistic operating conditions and across different ship classes.
Six different ship sectors
The project will present six virtual displays based on real operating vessels representing the main European ship sectors: inland waterways, short sea shipping, long distance shipping, ferries, cruise ships and cruise ships.
By integrating machine learning, surrogate modeling, operational data and high-fidelity simulation, the consortium aims to create a tooling environment that can support more reliable, scalable and commercially viable modernization decisions across the maritime industry.
“Rebuilding existing ships to include one or more new technologies is complex and difficult to evaluate commercially. The industry needs tools that make it easier to identify the most effective decarbonization methods for each ship,” says Øystein Höglin, Head of Technology and Innovation at Maritime CleanTech. They are responsible for maximizing the industry impact and market absorption of the project.
Faster market uptake
The FIT-HORIZONS consortium builds on the experience and knowledge developed through previous European initiatives, introducing new AI-powered approaches to marine engineering and modernization improvement.
The flexible design environment developed at FIT-HORIZONS is expected to reach Technology Readiness Level TRL 7-8 by the end of the project in 2029. The consortium will also develop recommendations for best practices, regulatory approval processes and business models to support faster market uptake of retrofit solutions.
As new climate regulations, such as FuelEU Maritime and the EU Emissions Trading System increase pressure on shipping to reduce emissions, the project aims to provide shipowners and designers with practical tools to navigate an increasingly complex transition process.
Source: FIT-HORIZONS
