The European Commission has launched a call for proposals to develop a demonstrator marine fishing vessel equipped with alternative propulsion technologies and innovative energy solutions.
The pilot project seeks to considerably enhance fishing vessel energy performance, decreasing carbon emissions and boosting sector resilience.
The project should demonstrate the feasibility of the chosen technologies and showcase the results to stakeholders, including fishers, investors, coastal communities, and young people. This technological advancement will strengthen the fisheries sector with numerous benefits:
- Increased fuel independence: reduced reliance on fossil fuels, making the sector more resilient to price fluctuations and ensuring long-term stability.
- Enhanced economic resilience: lower fuel costs will translate into increased financial viability for fishing businesses in the future.
- Environmental benefits: reduced emissions will significantly contribute to a cleaner ocean and healthier fish populations.
With this investment, the Commission delivers on its commitment to further test and demonstrate innovations on fishing vessels, as stated in the Communication on the Energy Transition of the EU fisheries and Aquaculture sector
in February 2023.
The budget for this call for proposals comes from the European Union’s annual budget and was deployed at the request of the European Parliament as a pilot project.
Next steps
The call is open until 11 June 2024, and the project(s) will be selected by the end of the third quarter of 2024. All the information about the call is available on the website
The call will be managed by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency.
An informative session is planned on Monday, 18 March 2024 14:30-16:30. Register here by 14 March
Details
- Publication date
- 21 February 2024