Electrification is becoming increasingly viable in shipping as a response to the demands for decarbonizing shipping. Small-scale ferries have already been electrified and for short-sea ropax application fully battery electric systems already show competitive total cost of ownership (Korberg et al., 2022).

In addition to contributing to emissions reductions in shipping operations, electrification of ships holds a great potential to radically change the way ships are designed and built (and even opereated). In essence, they would simplify the designs and give rise to more flexible use of space. It is also bound to change the sequence in which equipment are installed on the ship. There are considerable opportunities for establishing dominant designs in this area and establish vessel platforms like the Volkswagens MEB-platform (Modular electric drive matrix). Moreover, such a product platform could be combined with the ships’ digital asset layers, which would provide a powerful competitive advantage by enabling revenue streams over the life-time of the vessel. In essence, what we are witnessing is a technology shift where there is considerable potential for gaining competitive advantage by rapidly rethinking the way ships are designed, built, operated, and maintained and harnessing the productivity improvements and new business opportunities it entails.

Hence: The role of Åbo Akademi University in the project is to develop the design of a business concept that seizes and leverages the opportunities emerging from the technology shift triggered by electrification, especially in terms of a product-software platform for fully electric short-sea shipping