Hydrogen fuel cells market potentials in the maritime sector have been demonstrated in the last years with several vessels flagship projects. Despite hydrogen is a worldwide considered a valid option to reach the emission reduction targets, also part of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) strategy, a regulatory framework applicable to hydrogen fuelled ships is not yet available. E-SHyIPS brings together the Hydrogen and maritime stakeholders and international experts, through an Advisory Board, to gather new knowledge based on regulatory framework review and experimental data on ship design, safety systems, material and components and bunkering procedures. The approach is "vessel independent", in order to avoid the burdens of customized projects, and is focused on the risk and safety assessment methodologies. Based on this, e-SHyIPS will define a pre-standardization plan for IGF code update for the hydrogen-based fuels passenger ships and a roadmap for the boost of Hydrogen economy in the maritime sector.

EU shipbuilding leading edge relies in the complexity, quality, customization, delivery time and lifecycle services (e.g. in situ maintenance, repair and retrofitting) of the vessels manufactured. However, in the last decade, EU small and medium-sized shipyards (SME) have experienced a competitive drawback in their market segments due to an increase of competition from other global regions that benefits from lower labour costs or higher automation degree. Moreover, SME shipyards must also overcome a major impediment related with capital investment that can overwhelm the part cost for shipbuilding. As a result, current automation solutions based on large monolithic equipment, are not still valid for increasing productivity in SME shipyards. Therefore, shipbuilding, and especially SME shipyards, needs novel cost-effective, reconfigurable, modular and flexible worker-centric methodologies capable of improving worker’s performance and ensuring quality and precision in the execution of the labour-intensive tasks. Mari4_YARD aims the implementation of a portfolio of worker-centric solutions, by relying on novel collaborative robotics and ubiquitous portable solutions, enabling modular, reconfigurable and usable solutions targeting the execution of labour-intensive tasks by preserving industry-specific workers’ knowledge and skills. Moreover, replicability and early-adoption of the portfolio of technologies by other SME-shipyards is ensured through several actions on training, technology assessment, benchmarking… by establishing a pan-European network of Didactic Factories, offering general-purpose testbeds and showrooms, as well as providing upskilling and re-skilling of shipyards workforce. To further maximise the impact, Mari4_YARD plans to use synergies with complementary European and national initiatives, especially those related to MG-3-7-2020. A strategy for collaboration with Mari4_CHAIN and Mari4_PRO proposals, if funded as well, has already been set up.