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Solutions for climate resilient and environmentally sustainable inland waterways

The Horizon Europe project ReNEW represents a multidisciplinary group of 24 participants from 11 EU countries working to change inland water transport (IWT) into a smart, green, sustainable and climate-resilient sector. 

IWT system resilience is essentially co-dependent on infrastructure and barge/fleet reliability, maintainability, and fault tolerance. It embraces the sectors’ key priorities: sustainable infrastructure adjustments, environmental friendliness and competitiveness of vessel fleet, digitalisation, integration of IWT in multimodal transport chains and securing the availability of skilled workers.

The project builds on previous results and current initiatives to deliver real-world solutions to achieve its objective. The solutions developed in ReNEW are:

* Modular pontoons for resilient logistics hubs

* Waterway infrastructure resilience management

* Digital transport planning tool

* Resilience promoting autonomous barges

This survey will assess the relevance and acceptance of the developed solutions, identify barriers to adoption, explore the drivers promoting their development and examine the impacts of implementing these solutions.

Based on the findings, necessary actions will be outlined. This analysis will serve as the foundation for tailored recommendations, supporting EU policies aimed at promoting inland waterway transport as a sustainable and resilient option in today's increasingly disrupted environment.



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Solutions for climate resilient and environmentally sustainable inland waterways

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Solutions for climate resilient and environmentally sustainable inland waterways

Modular pontoons for resilient logistics hubs

This involves designing and constructing a “resilient smart terminal” that integrates water, road and rail transport systems, and enables automated mooring and cargo handling. 

The terminal will enable the deployment of modular pontoons as needed.

The development and testing of this solution includes automated navigation systems and environmental sensors to enhance sustainability and resilience, and aims to operate flexibly during extreme events, while minimizing emissions by enabling a multimodal response.

In addition, the solution includes a mobile command centre, supported by a Shore Control Center in Antwerp and Rotterdam, which will operate and manage these vessels efficiently through remote control.

A digital twin solution will utilize data collected from pontoons, the shore and the control centre to deliver data-driven predictions and model various scenarios.

1.1 Modular pontoons solutions for resilient logistics hubs: Big ships harm the flexibility of inland shipping, making them less suitable for really versatile inland water transport.

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1.2 In the trade-off between larger, less flexible barges and smaller, more adaptable ones, the following characteristics of modular pontoon solutions should be considered:

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1.3 BARRIERS

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1.4 DRIVERS

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Solutions for climate resilient and environmentally sustainable inland waterways

Waterway infrastructure resilience management

This solution involves creating a digital twin to model the hydrological behaviour of the Douro River.

This digital twin will serve as a tool to support decision-making during extreme weather events such as floods and droughts.

The focus will be on improving prediction accuracy, adapting responses to various scenarios and considering critical factors such as existing rail connections, particularly their role in emergencies like evacuating passengers and goods.

Additionally, this tool, supported by digital ship improvements, will facilitate the operators on and along the river in environmentally responsible behaviour and river management while promoting sustainable shipping practices and overall river use.

2.1 Waterway infrastructure resilience management: The implementation of responses and scenarios produced by the digital twin solution is a key step towards achieving a responsible, sustainable, and intelligent use of the waterway by its users.

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2.2 Implementing the solutions and scenarios from the digital twin will:

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2.3 BARRIERS

For every barrier identified, please select the statement most relevant from your professional perspective. If you have no opinion or the statement is not applicable, mark it likewise.

In case you see other barriers, kindly indicate:

2.4 DRIVERS

For every driver identified, please select the statement most relevant from your professional perspective. If you have no opinion or the statement is not applicable, mark it likewise.

In case you see other drivers, kindly indicate:

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Solutions for climate resilient and environmentally sustainable inland waterways

Digital transport planning tool

This solution is designed to increase the capacity of resilient infrastructures during disruptive events. The digital twin app gathers information from various partners in the inland waterway logistics chain, including skippers, terminal operators, forwarders, and shippers. It provides user-friendly, real-time insights into the status and progress of transport. The app seamlessly integrates information about current water levels and forecasts, obstacles, and traffic conditions at locks and bridges to assist in the planning process proactively.

3.1 Digital transport planning tool: Improving the reliability of inland shipping is crucial for enabling the desired modal shift and unlocking its full potential. A planning tool that integrates all key decision factors in real-time will be instrumental in enhancing the efficiency, reliability, and resilience of inland shipping operations.

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3.2 The widespread adoption of this planning tool in inland shipping logistics will:

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3.3 BARRIERS

For every barrier identified, please select the statement most relevant from your professional perspective. If you have no opinion or the statement is not applicable, mark it likewise.

In case you see other barriers kindly indicate:

3.4 DRIVERS

For every driver identified, please select the statement most relevant from your professional perspective. If you have no opinion or the statement is not applicable, mark it likewise.

In case you see other drivers kindly indicate:

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Solutions for climate resilient and environmentally sustainable inland waterways

Resilience promoting autonomous barges

One of ReNEW’s key pillars is that a fleet of smaller and increasingly automated vessels will inherently increase the resilience of the overall infrastructure.


This living lab solution proposes using an autonomous CEMT class 4 barge (the X-barge) to demonstrate and test the improved resilience of the IWT infrastructure. The concept features a disruptive barge concept combining digitisation, alternative propulsion, and autonomy.


4.1 Resilience promoting autonomous barges: Smaller autonomous barges are better positioned to adapt quickly to disruptive events, making them crucial for advancing inland waterway transport (IWT) as a climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable solution.

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4.2 Are autonomous barges a disruptive game-changer ?

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4.3 BARRIERS

For every barrier identified, please select the statement most relevant from your professional perspective. If you have no opinion or the statement is not applicable, mark it likewise.

In case you see other barriers, kindly indicate:

4.4 DRIVERS

For every driver identified, please select the statement most relevant from your professional perspective. If you have no opinion or the statement is not applicable, mark it likewise.

In case you see other drivers, kindly indicate:

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Solutions for climate resilient and environmentally sustainable inland waterways

5. The role of authorities in driving solutions for climate resilient and environmentally sustainable inland waterways

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Solutions for climate resilient and environmentally sustainable inland waterways

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We very much appreciate your input, which will enable ReNEW to contribute to the EU's policies to further establish inland waterway transport as a green, resilient, and environmentally friendly mode.