Databank

Reports, presentations and other publications about the Baltic Sea Region by experts.

04.09.2020 10:14

BSR Policy Briefing 2/2020

Increasing Eco-efficiency via Digitalisation in Maritime Industry in The Baltic Sea Region: Policy Support through Carrots or Sticks?
Authored by Milla Harju

This article will give a brief look into the state of the Baltic Sea and its current policy framework regulating in particular maritime activities. It will also outline the most important findings arising from project titled ECOPRODIGI (2017-2021), an EU-funded endeavour which has brought together 21 organisations, businesses and foundations from five countries across the Baltic Sea region. Together with academic researchers, industry end-users, and experts from maritime field the project addresses the most significant bottlenecks i.e. eco-inefficiencies at three stages of shipping: while on sea, at the port and during assembly process at the shipyard.

The findings discovered during research period were focused on by the partners through developing various type of digital solutions to enhance the practices and processes which were felt impractical, slow and/or wasteful. The pilots carried out thereafter demonstrated concretely whether the solutions were indeed viable and most importantly, practical, or if further development was needed. Eventually, the project succeeded in producing digital tools which were both developed and tested by the end-users, which will - if not guarantee, at least very firmly suggest their usability thus possible wide applicability into similar processes across the maritime industry.

Several issues were raised during the project, mostly concerning the regulations or mainly the lack of them concerning e.g. waste, port stays and energy usage. These will eventually be elaborated in detail in individual policy briefings which are an essential part of the project’s outcomes, together with a compilation of educational content and training packages which will support the implementation of the digital tools and processes.

Download the BSR Policy Briefing here.

Return to headlines