Impact of automation and zero-emission propulsion on design of small inland cargo vessels

Small inland waterways offer considerable capacity for modal shift of cargo transport. Revitalization of smaller inland waterways, however, may require new vessel designs as most of the existing small vessels are outdated and incompatible with the present state of the technology development and the current commercial and regulatory requirements. This paper investigates the possibilities for modernization of small inland vessel designs and offers a systematic analysis of impact of "automation" and "zero-emission propulsion technology" on reference designs of standard European inland cargo vessels of CEMT classes I, II, III, and IV. The adopted level of automation enables the vessels to be remotely operated without human crew onboard, whereas the adopted zero-emission propulsion concept is based on electrification of the powertrain. The paper identifies the impacts of the modernization on general arrangement, cargo capacity, safety, structural design, etc. and indicates the vessel classes which could be the most promising candidates for the design of a future small autonomous inland ships.