AVATAR - Video about the AVATAR opportunities in Ghent

27 September 2022 - Published by Tom Pauwels

Shane Woodford (Interreg North Sea Region Programme) produced a movie that gives an idea about the AVATAR opportunities in Ghent. In the movie, focus is on logistics and (highly) autonomous sailing.

AVATAR project partners are all seeking to change the game with clean green cargo deliveries by water into the city’s historic center. Project partners combine economic, engineering and energy expertise.

Shane Woodford (Interreg North Sea Region Programme) produced a movie that gives an idea about the AVATAR opportunities in Ghent. In the movie, focus is on logistics and (highly) autonomous sailing.

OHB, E. VAN WINGEN NV, Urban Waterway Logistics and POM Oost-Vlaanderen are doing research on the economic and societal assessment of the logistics and energy concept.

In AVATAR, a new (highly) automated vessel will be built (OHB, Urban Waterway Logistics, E. VAN WINGEN NV, SEAFAR), running on batteries. In the corresponding energy use case, E. VAN WINGEN NV performs research on charging the batteries at night (using a ICE CHP running on hydrogen). While the ICE CHP is charging the vessels, heat is released. This heat will be stored in a buffer tank that is part of a central heating installation.

This implies that in AVATAR focus is not only on decreasing the burden of city traffic, but also on using alternative and local energy sources.

Results and conclusions of the Ghent experiences will be transferred to Hamburg (Logistics Initiative Hamburg).

Besides individual tests of the available urban freight vessels in AVATAR (KUL Maverick, AVATAR new vessel, Green Wave, TUD RAS vessels), the AVATAR project also creates the opportunity to combine technologies from different AVATAR project partners (whether or not combined with the sensor box of KUL or TUD, the remote control center of Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg or SEAFAR, and the AIS-equipment of SSPA - Your Maritime Solution Partner).

Project partners are currently preparing the practical tests and demonstrations in at least three regions with the participating partners. More news will follow.

The video is available here on YouTube.