EU pins hopes on AI for decarbonisation of existing fleet
The Maritime Cleantech Team, one of the partners alongside Fraunhofer IEM, Navtor and others in the AIMPERES project (Source: AIMPERES)
An EU-backed consortium has launched a EUR 4.17 million (USD 4.8 million) project to help shipowners cut emissions from existing vessels using artificial intelligence, reflecting growing recognition that fleet decarbonisation cannot rely solely on newbuildings.
The AIMPERES (AI-driven Modular Platform for Emission-Reduction & Efficient Shipping) project is coordinated by Fraunhofer IEM and funded through the Horizon Europe programme. Bringing together ten partners from six European countries, the initiative aims to develop an AI-powered energy management system that can improve vessel efficiency without requiring major hardware modifications.
At the centre of the project is a modular platform combining real-time emissions monitoring, artificial intelligence, hybrid digital twins and decision-support tools for crews. Designed to integrate with existing onboard systems, the technology will use operational data, vessel models and low-cost exhaust monitoring to provide recommendations aimed at reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
"Decarbonising shipping requires solutions that can be deployed across the existing fleet, not only on the vessels of tomorrow," said Tobias Seidenberg, project coordinator at Fraunhofer IEM. "AIMPERES combines emissions monitoring, artificial intelligence and decision support into a practical solution that can help shipowners reduce fuel consumption and emissions while improving operational performance."
The system will be demonstrated on inland, coastal and deep-sea vessels, with the consortium targeting fuel savings of at least 5% alongside reductions in CO2, NOX, SOX and particulate emissions.
The project comes as regulators and shipowners increasingly focus on retrofit strategies and operational efficiencies to meet climate targets. With most of today's merchant fleet expected to remain in service well beyond 2040, technologies capable of improving the environmental performance of existing vessels are attracting close attention.
"The existing fleet has to deliver if we are to meet climate targets," said Håvard Tvedte, interim CEO of Maritime CleanTech. "This partnership puts AI to work to help shipowners make better decisions every day and turn that into measurable emission reductions."
