Maritime Sustainability

The research focuses on sustainability-based value creation in the maritime industry.

Recent projects

GreenConnect (2023 – 2025)

GreenConnect (Connecting green transition to new competitive advantage in transport solutions)

Description: Two-year research project aims at developing green transportation concepts to support the green transition. In the GreenConnect project, potential emission reduction measures in door-to-door transports, including maritime transportation, are examined, carbon dioxide emission calculation models and accuracy are improved, and business potential for green competitive advantage is investigated. The research focus of TSE is primarily on market-driven green transportation solutions that aim to reduce emissions beyond market standards and future regulation. These solutions not only contribute to accelerating the green transition but also provide companies competitive opportunities and differentiation in the market. The project is developing concrete solutions for three transportation modes: bulk cargo transportation, truck and trailer traffic, and container traffic. The project is part of the Zero Emission Marine (ZEM) program coordinated by Wärtsilä (https://www.zemecosystem.com).

Duration: 8/2023 – 7/2025

Partners: Ahola Transport, CMA CGM, ESL Shipping, Finnlines, Gasum, P2X Solutions, SSAB, UPM-Kymmene, and Wärtsilä

Funding: Business Finland, University of Turku, companies

Press release: Turku School of Economics is developing transport solutions speeding up the green transition

Suscon (2020 – 2022)

Sustainable Shipbuilding Concepts project focuses on creating sustainability based value in shipbuilding.

cruise ship

Research aims at designing more sustainable concepts for cruise ships and related systems in a way that the complete network can contribute into more sustainable business processes including material selection, design, manufacturing, social aspects and features. The goal is to generate new business processes that bring such sustainability benefits that can be quantified and which help actors to strengthen their foresight and adaptation abilities in the often-changing sustainability-framework. In addition, the goal is to stimulate the whole shipbuilding community’s understanding on how sustainable shipbuilding practices and effective communication of lean and sustainable solutions can increase the resilience and collaborativeness of the regional shipbuilding community.

The project focuses on research related supply network’s capabilities to utilize sustainability arguments for long-term strategic gains. Implementing collaborative foresight and early supplier integration practices promotes generation of new supplier-driven ideas for sustainability innovations. The participating companies have expressed the need to model and prove the environmental impacts of their products or systems for their communication. Development of new digital and virtual tools support more efficient business processes and illustration of sustainability benefits.

This project is a collaborative consortium project led by research organizations, University of Turku and VTT, including multiple parallel projects from industry stakeholders throughout the value chain.

Duration: April 2020 – December.2022

UTU Budget: 700 k€, Funding: Business Finland, companies and research organisations

Project type: Business Finland funded Co-Innovation project

Industrial and supporting partners: Evac Oy, Lautex Oy, Meriteollisuus ry, Meyer Turku Oy, Oy NIT Naval Interior Team Ltd., Paattimaakarit Oy, Piikkio Works Oy, Royal Caribbean Group

Research organisations: University of Turku (Department of Future Technologies, Centre for Collaborative Research and Finland Futures Research Centre) and VTT

Ecoprodigi (2017 – 2020)

ECOPRODIGI – Increasing the eco-efficiency of maritime industry processes through digitalisation

ECOPRODIGI project aims at increasing eco-efficiency at all stages of the vessel lifecycle from design and building to the use, maintenance, stowage as well as conversion processes. In practice, ECOPRODIGI not only provides highly needed information about the key eco-inefficiencies of the industry but also concretely develops and pilots digital solutions to better measure, visualise and optimise the industry processes.

ECOPRODIGI also improves the capacity of the maritime industry actors to enhance eco-efficiency in their operations by providing training for the key actors and by designing a digitalisation road map for increasing eco-efficiency. In addition, ECOPRODIGI strengthens the public support for digitalisation by providing policy workshops and recommendations.

Duration of the project: 10/2017 – 12/2020

Type: Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme project

Total budget: 4,2 million EUR (of which European Regional Development Fund co-financing 3 million EUR and Norwegian funding 140 000 EUR)

Lead partner: University of Turku, Pan-European Institute

Project partners: Aalborg University (DK), Chalmers University of Technology (SWE), University of South-Eastern Norway (NO), University of Southern Denmark (DK), Carina Solutions Oy (FI), Centrum Balticum (FI), Danish Maritime (DK), DFDS (DK), Island Ferry Secretariat (DK), Klaipeda Science and Technology Park (LT), Machine Technology Center Turku Ltd (FI), Meyer Turku Oy (FI), OSK-ShipTech (DK), Kockum Sonics AB (SWE), Logimatic (DK), Sininen Polku Oy (FI), RISE – The Swedish Research Institute (SWE), JSC “Western Baltic Engineering” (LT), Vessel Performance Solutions (DK), J. Lauritzen (DK)

Associated partners: ATS AB (SWE), Svendborg International Maritime Academy (DK), Polish Maritime Cluster (PL), Seismo-Shelf LTD (RU), AS Tallink Group (EE), Tallinn University of Technology (EE)

More information: https://ecoprodigi.eu/

Publications: https://ecoprodigi.eu/publications

Exoprodigi (2021)

EXOPRODIGI – Expanding efforts to bring eco-efficiency to maritime industry processes in Baltic Sea Region via digital tools

EXOPRODIGI builds on the findings of ECOPRODIGI project. The intention is to further improve the eco-efficient use of maritime industry resources with the help of digital tools and solutions which support decision making, create transparency, reduce working hours and decrease waste, emissions and energy consumption. Similarly to ECOPRODIGI, the aim in EXOPRODIGI is to enhance the institutional capacity of maritime industry end-users at various stages of vessel life-cycle; i.e. during voyages, stowage operations and at the assembly processes at shipyards. The partnership includes companies, universities and other organisations working in and with maritime industry in the Baltic Sea region.

Duration: 01/01/2021 – 30/09/2021

Type: Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme project

Total budget: 879 000 EUR (of which European Regional Development Fund co-financing 674 000 EUR)

Lead partner: University of Turku, Pan-European Institute

Project partners: J. Lauritzen (DK), Meyer Turku (FI), University of Southern Denmark (DK), DFDS (DK), Carina Solutions Oy (FI), Danish Maritime (DK), JSC “Western Baltic Engineering” (LT), Klaipeda Science and Technology Park (LT), Island Ferry Secretariat (DK), Kockum Sonics AB (SWE), Centrum Balticum (FI), Visinator (SWE)

More information: https://ecoprodigi.eu/exoprodigi

A short video about the project: https://ecoprodigi.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/EXOPRODIGI-20210914.mp4

In cooperation with industry, our goal is to develop not only the sustainability of products, but also the social responsibility of the entire network and to find new, more efficient ways of working. The research seeks operating models and technological solutions that would promote efficiency and responsibility and strengthen the industry's global competitiveness in Finland.