SYNERGETICS – Synergies for Green Transformation of Inland and Coastal Shipping
Inland and coastal shipping face great challenges with respect to a significant reduction of greenhouse-gas and air-pollutant emissions resulting from the requirements stipulated in the European Green Deal and the Taxonomy Regulation as well as the fact that improved environmental performance has become a feature of ever-increasing importance to the sector in order to remain competitive. SYNERGETICS is a Horizon Europe Innovation Action, a particularly application-oriented collaborative project looking at ways to reduce emissions in inland and coastal shipping through retrofit solutions.
LIFE Boat 4 Sturgeon
The overall objective of this LIFE project is to help save the four remaining Danube sturgeon species from extinction: the Sterlet, the Waxdick, the Sternhausen and the Hausen.
Integrated River Engineering Project on the Danube East of Vienna – Catalogue of Measures
On the free-flowing Danube east of Vienna, hydraulic engineering measures are being implemented to stabilise the falling water levels, preserve unique habitats in the Danube floodplains and align the waterway infrastructure with the requirements of safe and economic Danube navigation. In order to achieve these goals, maintenance activities are carried out on an ongoing basis and hydraulic engineering optimisation projects are implemented.
Further projects
- started 2020
The project’s objectives are the illustration of the effects of climate change in regard to the river Morava and the implementation of measures to improve the rivers water regime at the delta. Thus, the natural habitats in the floodplain forests and the river itself will benefit. The water level will be raised during times with low precipitation to guarantee continuous water flow in the river bed. As a result, the planned area will be available sustainably and the ecological value will increase.
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The study "Preparing FAIRway 2 works in the Rhine-Danube corridor" (07/2020-04/2024) aims to further develop the Danube waterway infrastructure in a sustainable, efficient and user-oriented way. It takes up core aspects from "FAIRway Danube" and prepares them for implementation in the planned follow-up project "FAIRway Danube 2" (from 2022). The study will be implemented together with Croatia and Serbia under the leadership of Austria.
- started 2020
FAIRway works! in the Rhine-Danube Corridor (02/2020 - 10/2023) is a joint project of Austria and Serbia to improve the waterway infrastructure along the Danube in these two countries. It continues the CEF Flagship Initiative "FAIRway Danube" and implements the most mature projects in the Danube corridor.
- started 2019
"Dynamic LIFE Lines Danube" is an Austrian-Slovak joint project for the renaturation of rivers and restoration of alluvial forests along the Danube. In both countries, a total of 25 km of side arms will be re-connected to the Danube and thus made more dynamic. These waters are the lifelines of the floodplain forests. Furthermore over 1,500 hectares of riparian forest are ecologically upgraded.
- started 2019
"Dynamic LIFE Lines Danube" is an Austrian-Slovak joint project for the renaturation of riparian forests along the Danube. In both countries, a total of 25 km of tributaries are being reconnected to the Danube and thus made more dynamic. These waters are the lifelines of the riparian forests. Over 1,500 hectares of riparian forest will be ecologically upgraded.
- started 2018
In TRIUMPH II a concept was developed for an intelligent multimodal communication hub that digitally links all process participants in the multimodal chain of transport. This was done using new standards for electronic data exchange as well as information gathered from intelligent transport systems.
- started 2017
By implementing the INTERREG project ProDaM, the joint flood management for the border rivers Danube and Morava (March) will be optimised.
- started 2017
This project aims to analyse current success criteria and obstacles for high & heavy transports by inland waterway and, based on this, to define necessary measures for a shift to inland waterway together with experts from the industry.
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Plastic is light and durable, but is now considered a serious global problem. The project "PlasticFreeDanube" focuses on macro plastic pollution (> 5 mm) in and along the Danube and considers the Danube section from the agglomerations of Vienna and Bratislava to the Gabčíkovo power plant (SK).
- started 2017
In the framework of the project “Alpine Carpathian River Corridor” the habitat network of aquatic organisms in the Slovakian-Austrian border area shall now be protected and improved.