Imagine cargo ships that drive themselves — like self-driving trucks, but on water. AUTOSHIP built and tested 2 unmanned vessels that can navigate rivers and coastal routes on their own, controlled from a shore station. They ran real-world pilot tests on Baltic Sea corridors and inland waterways, proving the technology works at near-commercial readiness. The goal is to make waterborne freight cheaper and greener than trucking, while keeping European shipbuilders competitive against Asian manufacturers.
European shipping operators face rising crew costs, seafarer shortages, and pressure to cut emissions — yet waterborne freight remains underutilized compared to road transport. Autonomous vessel technology could slash operating costs and make short-sea and inland waterway shipping competitive with trucking, but until now no one had demonstrated it works at near-commercial scale on real European routes.
The project built and operated 2 autonomous vessels with full self-navigation, self-diagnostic, and shore control systems, tested in 2 real-environment pilot campaigns on European shipping corridors. A scaled demonstrator report documents vessel testing results. Digital tools for autonomous ship design, simulation, and cost analysis were also developed across 20 deliverables.
If you are a short-sea shipping operator dealing with rising crew costs and difficulty finding qualified seafarers — this project built and tested 2 autonomous vessels with full self-navigation and shore-based control, reaching TRL7. The technology lets you run coastal freight routes with minimal or zero onboard crew, cutting your biggest operating expense while improving schedule reliability.
If you are a river transport company struggling to compete with road freight on cost and flexibility — AUTOSHIP demonstrated autonomous inland waterway vessels in 2 pilot campaigns on real European corridors. The self-diagnostic and operation scheduling systems mean your barges can run longer hours without crew fatigue limits, making waterway transport genuinely competitive with trucking.
If you are a port authority looking to handle more vessel traffic without proportional staffing increases — this project developed shore control infrastructure and e-navigation integration that lets operators manage multiple autonomous vessels remotely. The cyber-secure communication systems were tested in real port-to-hinterland scenarios across 2 pilot demonstrations.
The project data does not include specific per-vessel retrofit costs. However, AUTOSHIP was an Innovation Action with 16 industrial partners including major technology providers like Rolls Royce and Kongsberg, suggesting the technology is being developed for commercial pricing. Contact the consortium for quotes on specific vessel types.
The technology was demonstrated at TRL7 (system prototype in operational environment) across 2 pilot campaigns on real European corridors including Baltic Sea routes to major EU seaports. The project specifically targeted Short Sea Shipping and Inland Waterways — the most relevant areas with growing waterborne transport demand in the EU.
The consortium of 16 partners across 8 countries developed the technology, with major industrial players like Rolls Royce and Kongsberg involved. IP arrangements would be governed by the consortium agreement. Based on available project data, licensing terms would need to be negotiated directly with the technology providers.
AUTOSHIP addressed e-navigation integration and cyber security as part of the technology package, aligning with emerging maritime regulations. The project participated in major maritime industry organizations to influence standards. However, autonomous vessel regulations vary by country and waterway — specific approvals should be verified with relevant maritime authorities.
The project objective stated an ambition to deliver the technology to market within 5 years of the project period. With TRL7 achieved and 2 real-environment demonstrations completed by project end in November 2023, the core technology components are near-deployable. Integration timelines would depend on your specific vessel type and route requirements.
Yes — the project developed communication technology for integrating autonomous vessels into upgraded e-infrastructure, plus shore control and operation infrastructure. Digital tools for design, simulation and cost analysis were also built for the wider autonomous shipping community.
The technology package includes full-autonomous navigation, self-diagnostic systems, prognostics, and operation scheduling. A prominent level of cyber security was built into the communication systems. The project was designed to deliver safer transport compared to crewed operations.
This is a heavily industry-driven consortium with 14 out of 16 partners from industry (88%), signaling strong commercial intent rather than pure research. The partnership includes major maritime technology providers like Rolls Royce and Kongsberg, who are global leaders in ship automation — meaning the technology has credible paths to market. With partners from 8 countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Spain, Finland, France, Italy, Norway, UK) and the coordinator being an Italian innovation consultancy (PNO Innovation), the project covers key European maritime corridors. Only 2 SMEs are involved, suggesting this is an enterprise-grade technology play backed by large industrial players with existing customer bases and manufacturing capacity.
PNO Innovation SRL (Italy) coordinated this 16-partner consortium — reach out through their website or the AUTOSHIP project portal for technology licensing and partnership inquiries.
Want to connect with the AUTOSHIP team to explore autonomous vessel technology for your fleet? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction to the right consortium partner for your specific needs.
