SEAMLESS Update 2025.016

This publication provides an overview of the latest updates and progress achieved within the SEAMLESS project. Highlighting key milestones and recent developments, it offers insights into how the consortium is advancing toward building a fully automated, efficient, and sustainable waterborne freight feeder loop service for Europe. The following sections summarize the main achievements, technical innovations, and ongoing activities shaping the project’s journey so far.

• Northern European Use Case: After initial assessments, the demonstration route was updated to Horten–Port of Moss (Norway), offering better feasibility for zero-emission container shuttles. A pre-study on this case showed competitive performance against road transport.

• Central European Use Case: This continues to focus on highly automated IWT operations between the Port of Antwerp and Duisburg.

• Transferability: Beyond the two main demonstrations, six transferability use cases have been established to assess the adaptability of SEAMLESS building blocks in varied European transport contexts. Early studies indicate strong potential for deployment and scalability across different corridors and geographies.

• The MacGregor autonomous mooring system is in advanced development, featuring electric robotic arms and sophisticated perception modules for safe, unmanned mooring—adaptable to ordinary port bollards.

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Figure 1: Ilustration of the autonomous mooring system

• The triple joint autonomous crane is entering testing with new headblock hardware and path-planning control software, enabling real-world evaluation with physical and simulated vessels.

• The Voyage and Container Optimisation Platform (VCOP) has a new improved user interface and stowage planning features, now integrating key industrial partners for machine-to-machine communications.

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Figure 3: A view from VCOP: Operations, showing the status for each container to be loaded, in the current loading port.

• The Autonomous Vessel Smart Port Manager (AVSPM) platform, developed with Awake , enables real-time port call bookings, traffic monitoring, and navigation for crewless vessels, integrating current and next-gen port systems.

• An innovative, multi-role Remote Operation Centre (ROC) supports both navigation and engineering duties, with new features allowing operators to manage multiple vessels under "low-attention" supervision.

• Progress on Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) schemes includes advanced AI-based algorithms for fault-tolerant autonomous navigation, COLREG-compliance, and situational awareness in inland and short-sea conditions.

• Zero-emission vessel design methodologies are now in place, focusing on battery and fuel cell (PEMFC, SOFC) solutions, factoring in power needs, operational parameters, and environmental requirements.

• The ModalNET platform and its Computational Engine for Resilient Logistics (CERL) have reached a new level of prototype maturity, supporting synchro-modal dynamic management and disruption-optimized supply chains.

• Cybersecurity infrastructure for ModalNET is being implemented around risk management and the Zero Trust paradigm, securing data and process integrity throughout the multimodal chain.

Significant progress has been made in WP2 (Redesigning Logistics):

• Deliverables D2.2 and D2.3 have laid the conceptual foundation for future SEAMLESS logistics systems, streamlining complex administrative processes and defining functional requirements for autonomous shipping operations.

• The SEAMLESS reference logistics architecture visualizes new operational models for autonomous SSS and IWT, helping guide the redesign of multimodal workflows.

• The SEAMLESS team has established a detailed framework for Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) and socio-environmental impact assessment (WP6), with first results indicating strong competitiveness for battery-electric shuttle concepts against road transport.

• New business model surveys are in progress, collecting industry and stakeholder views to guide recommendations on market adoption and the regulatory environment.

• A database of stakeholders and a rolling program of interviews and observational studies (covering social acceptability) are underway to guide wider deployment and acceptance of autonomous technologies.

TIC4.0's continued leadership and expertise have supported three major work packages:

• WP3: Enabling Autonomous Port Operations
  TIC4.0’s contribution to this Work Package concluded with the delivery of Deliverable 3.3, titled "Concepts for Improved Port Cargo Handling Through Automated Port Interfaces," which was submitted earlier this year. TIC4.0 focused on defining the concepts for port terminal automation and identifying the necessary changes and interfaces between interacting systems.

• WP5: Digitalising Logistics Operations
  TIC4.0 contributed to the system design of the ModalNET platform (Deliverable 5.1), emphasizing the requirements for secure and reliable communication between ModalNET and terminal management systems. Ongoing integration efforts are leveraging the TIC4.0 model for standardized data exchange.

Looking ahead, the project’s focus will be on:

• Integrating standardized communications in critical systems, especially between VCOP (cargo planning) and autonomous crane management.

• Ensuring ModalNET's compatibility with container terminal operations and further validating TIC4.0’s data model for full interoperability.

• Contributing to the demonstration campaigns and the operational validation of SEAMLESS technology in real-world logistics chains.

• Finalizing the conceptual frameworks for secure, synchronized operations across all partner systems.

Through these efforts, TIC4.0 continues to enhance its role as a leader in interoperability and standardisation for the future of autonomous and digital maritime logistics. The participation in SEAMLESS not only advances technical solutions but also validates and enriches TIC4.0’s model for future adoption across the European logistics ecosystem.

This update captures major technical, organizational, and strategic advances within SEAMLESS, showcases TIC4.0’s distinct and evolving contribution, and highlights ongoing and future priorities aligned with the project’s ambition and European policy objectives. If you need the update to be shorter, or to include or exclude specific technical points or partner mentions, just let me know!