A new European partnership, FIT-HORIZONS, is set to help shipping companies decarbonize the existing fleet through an AI-supported retrofit design environment, backed by nearly USD 4.61 million (EUR 4 million) in European Union funding.
Coordinated by SINTEF Ocean and involving 19 organizations across Europe, the project will develop tools to combine simulation, AI-supported modeling, and operational data—then test them via six virtual demonstrations across major ship segments.
Funding and consortium scope
FIT-HORIZONS brings together 19 leading maritime companies, researchers, universities, software developers, and technology providers from across Europe, with SINTEF Ocean coordinating the effort. The European Union is funding the project with nearly USD 4.61 million (EUR 4 million).
What the platform is supposed to do
The project targets an intelligent and flexible retrofit design environment for low- and zero-emission shipping. Its stated aim is to simplify and accelerate retrofit decisions for shipowners by combining advanced simulation tools, AI-supported modeling, and operational data into a single holistic design framework.
Rather than evaluating measures in isolation, the FIT-HORIZONS platform is designed to analyze combinations of retrofit technologies under realistic operating conditions and across different vessel categories. The technologies covered include alternative fuels, electrification, wind-assisted propulsion systems, air lubrication systems, hull modifications, and energy efficiency solutions.
Virtual demonstrations across six vessel segments
FIT-HORIZONS will deliver six virtual demonstrations based on real operating vessels that represent key European ship segments: inland waterways, short-sea shipping, long-distance shipping, ferries, cruise vessels, and offshore vessels. The consortium aims to build a tool environment by integrating machine learning, surrogate modeling, operational data, and high-fidelity simulations, with the goal of supporting more reliable, scalable, and commercially viable retrofit decisions.
Industry skepticism baked into the design goal
Project leadership is framing the work around the difficulty of evaluating complex retrofit packages. FIT-HORIZONS coordinator Dr. Kourosh Koushan said shipping needs practical pathways to decarbonization now, not only in the future, and that FIT-HORIZONS aims to reduce uncertainty and accelerate the transition from analysis to implementation.
Maritime CleanTech Head of Technology and Innovation Dystein Huglen said reconstruction of existing ships to include one or more new technologies is complex and commercially difficult to evaluate, and that the industry needs tools to make it easier to identify the most effective decarbonization routes for each vessel.
TRL target and outputs
The flexible design environment developed in FIT-HORIZONS is expected to reach a technology readiness level (TRL) of 7-8 by the end of the project in 2029. The consortium also plans to produce recommendations covering best practices, regulatory approval processes, and business models intended to support faster market uptake of retrofit solutions.