MARLO AS

Their core work

MARLO AS is a Norwegian technology SME specializing in inland waterway transport (IWT) systems and smart maritime logistics. Their work focuses on making freight movement along rivers and canals more efficient — covering vessel operations, port feeder concepts, cross-docking logistics, and the smart infrastructure (bridges, locks) that governs waterway traffic. They bring practical operational expertise to research consortia working on the future of European waterborne freight, including satellite-based navigation (Galileo) and real-time waterway data systems. In essence, they are a domain specialist that bridges vessel design concepts with the logistics and infrastructure reality of moving goods by water.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

MARLO's first project, NOVIMAR (2017), addressed broad novel transport concepts for both inland waterways and short-sea shipping — a wide-angle framing with no highly specific operational keywords on record. By NOVIMOVE (2020), their contribution had sharpened considerably into concrete logistics architecture: port feeders, vessel trains, cross-docking, and the digital infrastructure (smart bridges, locks scheduling, Galileo positioning) that makes those concepts operationally viable. The direction is clear: from conceptual transport research toward system-level logistics engineering grounded in smart infrastructure and data.

MARLO is moving toward operationally specific, data-driven IWT logistics — future collaborations would most naturally involve digital freight management, smart lock/bridge infrastructure, or Galileo-based vessel guidance systems.

How they like to work

MARLO participates exclusively as a consortium partner — they have never coordinated an H2020 project — which positions them as a specialist contributor rather than a project driver. With 36 unique partners across 10 countries spread over just two projects, they engage in large, multi-stakeholder consortia of the kind typical for EU transport research. This suggests they are comfortable operating within complex, multi-national project structures and are valued for a specific technical input rather than administrative leadership.

Despite only two projects, MARLO has connected with 36 distinct consortium partners across 10 countries — a notably broad network for an SME of this size, reflecting the large pan-European consortia typical of EU transport research. Their partnerships likely span port authorities, vessel builders, logistics operators, and research institutes across Northern and Western Europe.

What sets them apart

MARLO occupies a rare niche as a Norwegian private SME with hands-on expertise in inland waterway transport — a sector dominated in EU research by Dutch, Belgian, and German actors. Their combination of vessel operations knowledge, port logistics design, and smart infrastructure experience (locks, bridges, Galileo) makes them a practical bridge between conceptual transport research and real-world waterway operations. For a consortium needing a credible industry voice on IWT system design — not just academic modeling — MARLO offers direct operational grounding.

Highlights from their portfolio

• NOVIMOVE
  The most operationally detailed of the two projects, introducing concrete logistics innovations — vessel trains, cross-docking, Galileo-based navigation — that represent MARLO's clearest statement of technical capability.
• NOVIMAR
  Their entry project and the largest single funding award (EUR 298,180), establishing MARLO's position in the EU inland and short-sea waterway transport research community.