ADMIRAL Project Consortium Meeting in Kotka
Kotka, Finland (February 12, 2024) – The ADMIRAL consortium convened in Kotka, Finland, for its fifth in-person meeting, highlighting significant advancements in its pilot projects and the development of the ADMIRAL marketplace. Over two days, project partners discussed key findings, shared progress on sustainable logistics innovations, and explored the latest marketplace functionalities designed to transform freight transport operations.
Pilot Projects: Advancing Sustainable Logistics Solutions
At the core of the meeting were updates from the four ADMIRAL pilot projects, each making strides in reducing emissions and improving logistics efficiency.
“Digital & Green multimodal corridor” -Partners involved: APS, MARLO, UPM, LNEC, VTT, CERTH
Portuguese-Spanish Pilot activities addressed building a catalogue of low-emission services for logistics operations between Sines (PT) and Madrid (ESP), bringing together the logistics stakeholder community in this corridor for increased collaboration, and promoting a modal shift from road to rail freight transport between Sines and Madrid.
To identify the potential for reducing emissions, a traffic analysis including information on available infrastructure and cargo volumes was conducted. Special attention was also given to understanding stakeholder needs through first-hand insights.
“AI-based Optimization of Logistics for Sustainability” -Partners involved: Steveco & VTT
Finnish pilot activities have so far focused on testing a simulation model for basic order placement in the port of Hamina Kotka to identify how terminal operations can be optimized and thus CO2 emissions reduced. Future activities include integration of AI features in the warehouse work planning system that is used daily by warehouse foremen in the port.
Simulation data on cargo handling as well as terminal operations data are used to drive the development of the AI tool for cargo unloading operations. Real-world testing of the AI-based planning tool is planned to commence later this year.
“Green Route: Emission-Aware Logistics Management” -Partners involved: TIA, CSign, Trevio, cargoGo, Normalis, Klaipeda
Lithuanian pilot activities have been mainly dedicated to the development of a Transport Scheduling Tool, and identifying a suitable CO2 emissions calculation methodology and data sources for road transport.
Regarding the Transport Scheduling Tool, an automated tool for planning truck arrival (ETA) has been tested to reduce truck idling time and thereby potentially reduce CO2 emissions. Another focus was on analysing different market approaches to CO2 calculation, whereby eCMR data has been identified and tested as a promising data source. For the calculator, eCMR data has been complemented by modelled data on fuel consumption.
“Green Logistics: Optimizing Postal Sustainability Across Borders” -Partners involved: Solvesall, University of Ljubljana, Post of Slovenia, Post of Croatia, Locodels
Slovenian-Croatian pilot activities focused on developing a logistics optimization tool for postal services including CO2 emissions calculation, CO2 emissions reporting data, CO2 emission prediction and the integration of a custom logistics AI tool.
Different CO2 emissions calculation approaches and data sources have been tested and compared in terms of measurement accuracy, also taking into account factors such as road elevation. For last-mile delivery, different trajectories for the delivery vehicle have been simulated to obtain information on according energy consumption.
Marketplace Development: Integrating Sustainable Solutions -Partners involved: Awake
Parallel to pilot advancements, the ADMIRAL marketplace has also made substantial progress. Key pilot needs have been identified to ensure seamless integration of solutions as the project evolves. The marketplace’s business and developer portals have been constructed, with several core functionalities already in place. These include company registration, routing services, and CO2 emissions calculation tools, laying the foundation for a robust digital platform that will support sustainable logistics practices across Europe.
Looking Ahead
Future project activities in this year will include the integration of pilot solutions into the ADMIRAL marketplace to amplify its impact for offering easily accessible low-emission transport services, reducing CO2 emissions, offering valuable reporting data, and promoting stakeholder collaboration in logistics and transport.
The insights and progress shared at the Kotka meeting mark an important milestone for the ADMIRAL consortium. As the project moves forward, the continued development of pilot solutions and marketplace functionalities will contribute to reshaping the logistics sector with innovative and sustainable transport solutions.
The ADMIRAL project is a three-year EU-funded initiative under the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, running until April 2026. Coordinated by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., the consortium consists of 21 partners from nine EU countries, all dedicated to revolutionizing freight transport through multimodal logistics solutions.