The final results of the PROMINENT project aimed at the greening and sustainability of the European inland navigation sector will be presented at the Transport Research Arena 2018 in Vienna, Austria (16-19 April). STC Group coordinates this large-scale project since May 2015. The project has been made possible by the European Commission.

PROMINENT focuses on researching, testing and introducing affordable, safe and green alternative energy concepts and technologies for the European inland navigation sector. At the same time PROMINENT wants to significantly reduce energy consumption and the 'carbon footprint' of inland shipping.The research shows that installing after-treatment systems, sailing with alternative fuels, navigating energy efficiently to save fuel and placing new engines or adjusting (hybrid or size adjustment) the engines are the most effective solutions. 

An international project team (consisting of 17 participants) started in 2015 with the development of work packages in which the various sustainable and innovative solutions are described. These work packages provide the various stakeholders (public bodies, banks, port authorities, technology providers, fleet/ship owners and shippers) with know-how to make inland shipping greener. The innovative solutions researched by PROMINENT are relevant for 70% of the current fleet and can result in savings of up to 30%.

With 18,000 vessels and 40,000 crew members, the inland navigation sector can make a large contribution to the sustainability of the transport chain and the reduction of traffic jams on European roads. Because the human factor can also make an important contribution to the greening and sustainability of the inland shipping sector, 'digital education tools' have been developed as part of PROMINENT to make the logistics managers of the future more aware of the possibilities of the inland shipping as a transport modality.

The results of the project are available on the Prominent website, www.prominent-iwt.eu. There is also a short video available https://youtu.be/PYuWYpVG7T0.

Note for editors: For more information, please contact STC Group, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Project manager.