The European Commission is emphasising coordinated public-private action to advance the waterborne sector, from research to deployment, according to its Industrial Maritime and Ports Strategies.
Pooling public and private resources will be central to building a competitive, resilient, and sustainable maritime industry.
The Commission plans to support this through a European network of green shipping lanes and hubs, designed to provide clarity for investment decisions and coordinate projects in vessel operations, technology, fuel supply, and port infrastructure.
The strategies highlight that the sector’s future depends on scaling up clean technologies, digital and automated systems, and targeted policy support to strengthen the EU industrial base.
Coordinated use of EU funding, national measures, and private investment is considered essential. Horizon Europe remains a key instrument for research, development, and innovation, while the EU Innovation Fund supports technology demonstrations.
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Proposed initiatives such as the European Competitiveness Fund and the Connecting Europe Facility are intended to accelerate deployment.
The January 2026 Waterborne Technology Leadership document stresses that systematic deployment of economically viable innovations can position the European waterborne sector as a global frontrunner while creating export opportunities.
Achieving this will require an ecosystem approach, resilient supply chains, and an interconnected trans-European network.
Europe’s waterborne sector relies on an interdependent ecosystem. Maintaining leadership will require capabilities to design, produce, and implement commercially viable solutions across vessel types and transport segments, including liner, bulk, and tramp shipping.
The transition will need parallel focus on retrofitting existing vessels and developing newbuild solutions.
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Jaap Gebraad, Secretary General of Waterborne TP, said: “Following the publication of the Waterborne Technology Leadership document, we are developing nine dedicated Technology Roadmaps, focusing on research, development, innovation, upscaling and deployment. They outline technology pathways, enablers and deployment, including concrete pathways per roadmap to ensure effective deployment.
“The roadmaps show a clear commitment from the European waterborne sector to continue actively investing in research, development and innovation, education, training and skills development as well as deployment across the full value and supply chain, including SMEs, start-ups and regional actors. Open consultations on their content will be conducted before summer 2026, ensuring accessibility and timely implementation.”
