Monday, 13th until Friday, 17th of November, we have officially launched off our Interreg InnoWaTr project during a project week in Gothenburg, hosted by RISE, the research institute of Sweden. With more than 24 partners from 5 countries we dedicated time to project planning, team building and project communication.
The InnoWaTr project is composed of a coalition of European cities, universities and research centers, shipping companies, and logistics service providers. It aims to green 8 inland waterway transport freight streams, foster synergy, unlock business opportunities, and eliminate barriers by forming and managing new Freight Flow Coalitions (FFCs).
The project week began on Monday with opening speeches by Robbert van Hasselt project leader and Meeuwis Wirdum head of IWT Training, Education and Simulator centre. Maritieme Academie Harlingen. Subsequently, each FFC introduced their freight flow coalition and challenges, setting the stage for round-table discussions where participants explored potential contributions and learning opportunities from within the corresponding FFCs.
From Tuesday to Thursday, leaders of work packages 1, 2, and 3, respectively, Layla Martin from Eindhoven University of Technology, Sara Kilicaslan from RISE, and Christiam Gil from Kühne Logistics University, presented tasks and action plans with actions assigned to partners.
Interactive activities, including the collaborative container transport game designed by Layla Martin and the constellation led by Lars Stemmler from Bremen Ports, provided insights into the difficulties and challenges of building FFCs. Additionally, we visited the Towing Tank at SSPA Maritime Center guided by Magnus Wikander at RISE. The towing tank has various applications, primarily concerning hull and propeller shape optimization for all kinds of ships or energy saving devices with respect to resistance and propulsion.
The last day centered on communication, led by Wim Tjaberinga from Keijzer. Attendees actively participated in brainstorming sessions to generate slogans and logos for the project. While the winners are yet to be determined, their designs will be published soon.
The conference concluded on a high note with a lunch gathering, during which fruitful results were celebrated, including agreed meeting plans and to-do lists.
