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PROMINENT addresses the key needs for technological development, as well as barriers to innovation and greening in the European inland navigation sector. With the signature of INEA (Innovation & Networks Executive Agency of the European Commission) on the Grant Agreement of PROMINENT, the project officially started on 1 May 2015 and will be implemented on a period of 36 months. PROMINENT will combine the experiences gained from previous and ongoing projects executed since the first NAIADES action programme, ongoing activities in the fields addressed on a (pan-) European and national level and will initiate, support and stimulate deployment during and after the project period. In order to turn the innovative solutions into real-life implementation, the PROMINENT consortium has ensured the active participation and support of representatives of the IWT industry, fleet operators, engine and equipment manufacturers, inland navigation educational institutions, experienced consultants and research institutes, as well as waterway operators and administrations.

Pro Danube Management is leader of the work package dealing with real-life pilot deployments. The activities foreseen include the implementation of pilot tests of standardised systems for LNG propulsion, diesel after-treatment, energy efficient navigation, digital education as well as certification and monitoring of emissions and operational profiles. In addition to Pro Danube, Navrom SA participates in the project and will equip a certain number of its vessels with advanced echo sounders. This shall allow the consortium to build up a database of flow data on fairway depth providing updated information to the waterway administrations and generating an important input for the construction of an advanced trip advisory tool reducing fuel consumption of vessels by optimizing engine power and trajectory.

PROMINENT is funded by the Horizon 2020 programme, the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme. The project is coordinated by STC-Group (NL) and brings together 17 partners from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Romania.

Within the PLATINA II project, the project consortium released the European Greening Tool for Inland Waterway Transport, which is an initiative meant to offer vessel owners/operators, policy makers or other stakeholders state-of-the-art information about the different retrofit greening option technologies currently available for application on existing vessels. This tool also gives an estimate of the return on investment for different greening options as well as its potential impact on emissions based on the best available information. Greening technologies are constantly being developed and fine-tuned. In this respect, the initiative aims at keeping the information up-to-date by including the latest known results of ongoing research in the field of greening of the fleet. Interested parties may help enhance the tool and make it more user-friendly by sending their feedback to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more information, you may refer to the initiative's website here.

PLATINA II is funded by the European Union (DG-MOVE) under the 7th Framework Programme for RTD.

Maritime Days in Odessa annual forum takes place between 28 and 30 May 2015. Having started in 2004, Maritime Days in Odessa is a chain of events for shipping, logistics and trade community. This year's event is dedicated to grain export, bringing together experts from the agri and shipping business in one event. Judging from past events, over 300 participants are expected to take part in this event.For more details, please visit the event's website here.

Black Sea Ports & Shipping Conference, the biggest annual container ports and terminal operations exhibition and conference in the Black Sea region, takes place for the first time in Constanta, Romania at the Constanta Trade Fair Centre on 26 - 27 May 2016. This event is hosted by N.C. MARITIME PORTS ADMINISTRATION S.A. CONSTANTA.

The conference programme features 30 world-class conference speakers addressing topical issues and challenges covering global transportation and logistics and will be attended by more than 400 senior executive harbour masters, harbour engineers, port engineers, maintenance supervisors and procurement decision makers together with the region’s leading shippers, cargo owners, importers / exporters, shipping lines, freight forwarders, logistics companies, ports, terminal operating companies, railway operators, port equipment and services suppliers from countries throughout the Black Sea region.

Additionally, there will be commercial opportunities forexhibitors and sponsors to network directly with the delegates at this major annual international maritime transport exhibition and conference.