{"id":3100,"date":"2025-05-23T16:27:29","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T16:27:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/?p=3100"},"modified":"2025-05-23T16:27:29","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T16:27:29","slug":"navigating-growth-researchers-use-blockchain-and-ai-to-reclaim-europes-inland-waterways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/3100\/navigating-growth-researchers-use-blockchain-and-ai-to-reclaim-europes-inland-waterways\/","title":{"rendered":"Navigating growth: researchers use blockchain and AI to reclaim Europe\u2019s inland waterways"},"content":{"rendered":"

Europe\u2019s expansive inland waterways remain underutilised despite their potential. Researchers and industry partners are developing innovative tools, such as digital simulations of river flows or blockchain-powered pollution control, that support smarter, more resilient and sustainable inland waterway transport.<\/p>\n

By<\/em> Tom Cassauwers<\/p>\n

The Douro River is one of Portugal\u2019s best-known waterways. It flows through the region that produces the famous port wines, and attracts a growing number of tourists each year. That brings economic benefits, but also problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cPassenger ships are becoming more popular as tourists discover the area,\u201d said Filipe Martins from APDL, the organisation that administers the sea ports of Leix\u00f5es and Viana and the Douro\u2019s inland waterway. \u201cThat\u2019s good. But it\u2019s also putting more environmental pressure on the river.\u201d<\/p>\n

For example, some tourist boats choose to simply discharge their wastewater into the river illegally, instead of emptying tanks in ports and paying for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s sad. It pollutes this beautiful river,\u201d said Martins. This is just one example showing there is room for improving the management of Europe\u2019s waterways so that they are kept healthy and sustainable.<\/p>\n

An EU-funded initiative named ReNEW, bringing together researchers from universities, research institutes, public organisations and companies from 11 European countries, is already working to improve the performance and sustainability of inland waterways.<\/p>\n

ReNEW focuses on developing and testing technologies to support the Inland Waterway Transport (IWT) sector in its transition to a more sustainable, climate-resilient, and digitally enabled future.<\/p>\n

Europe\u2019s inland waterway network spans some 41 000 kilometres and transports around 550 million tonnes of cargo each year.<\/p>\n

With over 16 000 vessels, inland navigation plays a key role in freight transport and cross-border trade, connecting major industrial regions across the continent. The sector also supports passenger transport and cruising, which are growing in popularity in many parts of Europe.<\/p>\n

\u201cEurope has a vast inland waterway network, but its share in freight transport has remained relatively stable. This shows that its potential is not fully realised,\u201d said Janeta Toma, general manager of the European Inland Waterway Transport Platform and ReNEW coordinator.<\/p>\n

Realising the full potential of inland waterways, she said, requires investment, the development and roll-out of innovative technologies, supportive policy frameworks, appropriate market incentives and active engagement from key stakeholders.<\/p>\n

Digital rivers<\/strong><\/p>\n

The researchers\u2019 work started in September 2022 and will continue until September 2025, aiming to help Europe unlock the full potential of its waterways in a smart and sustainable manner.<\/p>\n

One of the key tools being developed are so-called digital twins \u2013 a virtual representation of inland waterway infrastructure and operations.<\/p>\n

These models are created by combining data integration and climate prediction modelling with water level sensors, weather forecasts and ship tracking, as well as real-world testing in four so-called living labs.<\/p>\n

The compiled data creates a digital copy of a river. Using these systems, scientists can monitor and predict what a river will do, and, for example, better respond to emergencies such as floods. That is the focus of the Douro living lab in Portugal.<\/p>\n

The living lab in Ghent, Belgium, is developing a multifunctional smart terminal hub, which integrates different transport modes, as well as sensors to monitor water levels and air and water quality.<\/p>\n

In the third living lab, researchers are creating a platform to track the progress of ship-borne cargo. Meanwhile a fourth living lab is building and testing low- and zero-emissions autonomous barges. Those two labs have hubs in Belgium, Germany, France and the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

Partners in these initiatives include research centres and institutes such as imec from Belgium and Sintef from Norway, but also the port authority APDL and Ireland\u2019s Konnecta Systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe solutions we are developing represent some of the most strategic contributions of the ReNEW project,\u201d said Toma. \u201cThey reflect our ambition to deliver practical, scalable innovations that strengthen the IWT sector.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blockchain to halt illegal dumping<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of those solutions is currently being tested on the Douro. As part of ReNEW\u2019s work, APDL installed sensors on the wastewater tanks of a number of tourist ships sailing along the river.<\/p>\n

These sensors register the water levels minute by minute, and this information, along with the ship name, time and current coordinates is stored in an immutable way in a blockchain helping to detect any rapid discharge of wastewater in places where this should not happen.<\/p>\n

If a discharge occurs outside of a wastewater collection point, the decrease in tank volume and the ship\u2019s coordinates will be used to identify the misdeed as this information is automatically logged on a blockchain \u2013 a publicly shared collection of data.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this way, it\u2019s immutable, it cannot be changed,\u201d said Martins. \u201cThese records are also kept forever. Nobody can tamper with the data.\u201d<\/p>\n

The system automatically issues a fine to the ship operator who illegally discharges wastewater, reducing administrative burden and immediately punishing offenders.<\/p>\n

If the test proves successful, the system could become mandatory for all tourist ships on the river. Martins hopes this will help protect the Douro, but also provide some economic benefits.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, there is an uneven playing field,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonest companies pay for handling their wastewater while polluters don\u2019t, if they aren\u2019t caught. Environmentally compliant shipping companies are having trouble competing with operators who don\u2019t always follow the same standards.\u201d<\/p>\n

The researchers from APDL have also installed sensors along the riverbed and combined their data with various water and meteorological models to create a digital twin.<\/p>\n

With it, they hope to better predict floods and droughts, which should benefit tourism, transport and agriculture. These kinds of technologies should also help to stimulate Europe\u2019s inland waterways and create new opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cInland navigation has the capacity to transport more cargo and reduce reliance on CO\u2082-intensive road transport,\u201d said Toma.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the right investment and support, it can make a much bigger contribution to a sustainable and efficient European transport system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Research in this article was funded by the EU\u2019s Horizon Programme. The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u200bThis article was originally published\u202fin\u00a0Horizon<\/a>\u00a0the EU Research and Innovation Magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n

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