Author: refest

On 21 May 2026, the REFEST project was presented at Tipicità in Blu, a renowned event held in Ancona, Italy, dedicated to promoting innovation, sustainability, and the blue economy.

REFEST took part in the workshop “Le innovazioni del progetto 3Efishing: Verso la decarbonizzazione del settore della pesca e dell’acquacoltura” (“3Efishing Innovations: Towards the Decarbonisation of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector”), which focused on presenting the achievements and innovative solutions developed within the 3Efishing project.

The workshop brought together stakeholders from across the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, including fishermen, project partners from Italy and Croatia, industry experts, and members of the general public interested in sustainable maritime innovation.

Representing REFEST, Andrea Baggio from RINA Consulting S.p.A. delivered the presentation “REFEST project: concrete innovation for sustainable fishing. Retrofitting and integrating technologies to reduce emissions and increase efficiency”. The presentation provided an overview of the project’s context, consortium, objectives, and expected impacts, highlighting REFEST’s contribution to the decarbonisation of small-scale fisheries.

In addition to the oral presentation, REFEST participated in the round-table discussion, fostering exchanges with representatives of related initiatives and stakeholders working towards a more sustainable future for Europe’s fisheries and aquaculture sectors.

The event offered an excellent opportunity to strengthen synergies among projects addressing common environmental challenges and to engage directly with the communities that will benefit from these innovations.

On 28 May 2026, the REFEST project participated in the Horizon Europe Projects Clustering Event on Advanced Energy Storage Systems for Zero-Emission Waterborne Transport, held in Brussels and bringing together leading European initiatives working towards the decarbonisation of the maritime sector.

The event gathered representatives from the Horizon Europe sister projects AENEAS, NEMOSHIP, POSEIDON and V-ACCESS, creating a valuable platform for knowledge exchange, discussion of technological advancements and exploration of synergies in the field of innovative energy storage solutions for waterborne transport.

REFEST actively contributed to the roundtable discussion, sharing insights and perspectives on sustainable and innovative pathways to support the transition towards cleaner and more efficient maritime operations. Representing the project, Marcin Rakowski from Morski Instytut Rybacki served as REFEST’s spokesperson, actively engaging in the dialogue with project representatives, industry stakeholders and policymakers.

The roundtable provided an excellent opportunity to discuss common challenges, exchange experiences and identify areas for future cooperation among projects funded under the same Horizon Europe call. Such collaborative initiatives play a crucial role in maximising the impact of European research and innovation activities while accelerating the deployment of technologies that can support the green transition of the maritime sector.

REFEST would like to express its sincere gratitude to the V-ACCESS project and the event organisers for the kind invitation and for creating a stimulating environment for discussion and collaboration. Events such as this demonstrate the importance of strengthening connections among European projects to build shared knowledge and amplify collective impact.

We look forward to continuing this fruitful exchange and exploring further collaboration opportunities with V-ACCESS and the wider community of projects working towards a more sustainable future for waterborne transport.

From 20 to 24 April 2026, the REFEST project was proudly represented at the Hannover Messe 2026, one of the world’s leading industrial technology trade fairs, thanks to the participation of project coordinator Klaipėda University.

Throughout the event, representatives from Klaipėda University actively participated in the exhibition area and several public engagement activities, creating valuable opportunities to connect with a wide range of stakeholders from industry, research, policy, and innovation ecosystems.

During these interactions, the team introduced the objectives and ongoing activities of REFEST, highlighting the project’s commitment to supporting the decarbonisation of traditional fishing fleets through easy-to-deploy retrofit solutions. The event provided an excellent platform to exchange ideas, discuss the challenges faced by the maritime and fisheries sectors, and explore potential collaborations with organisations and experts working on cleaner, more efficient and sustainable marine transport across Europe and beyond.

By engaging directly with visitors and stakeholders, REFEST increased the visibility of its mission and strengthened its network within the European innovation community.

As part of Work Package 4, Tasks 4.3 and 4.4, RISE has developed an Air Lubrication System for the model boat manufactured by GEMI Boat. The tested model represented a 1:1.5 scaled hull of the full-scale vessel.

In February 2026, towing tank experiments were conducted at the RISE testing facilities to evaluate the performance of the Air Lubrication System on the selected hull form. During the tests, different air injection nozzle configurations were assessed in order to compare their respective effects on performance.

The total resistance of the model was measured across a range of speeds, both with and without air lubrication. In addition, hull trim and sinkage were recorded to provide further insight into hydrodynamic behaviour under different operating conditions.

Beyond resistance measurements, the experimental campaign also included the installation of two types of shear-stress sensors (piezoelectric and fibre optic) at different locations on the hull. These measurements were carried out to investigate sensor performance under realistic conditions and form part of the activities under Work Package 2.

The results from these tests will contribute to a deeper understanding of air lubrication efficiency and advanced sensing technologies for maritime applications within the REFEST project.

CALSENS, working within the framework of REFEST project, has achieved the Milestone 5 through the successful integration of multiple optical fibre sensors inside different composite materials. Proving that the behaviour and structural health of the fibre and the sensor elements are not affected by the composite fabrication process, and that even different temperature and strain measurements can be performed during the fabrication process.

As a part of Milestone 5, CALSENS has manufactured multiple FBG in conventional fibre (both with femtosecond and UV laser techniques) both in a single sensor configuration and in arrays of several FBGs. With the collaboration of AIMPLAS, CALSENS has integrated these fibres in multiple composite panels and pieces of different dimensions and materials (carbon fibre, glass fibre, with different resins, etc) and in different configurations, with several fibres in each panel (up to 25 FBG sensors integrated in the same composite piece). Additional protections for the fibre have been developed and validated for the entry points into the composites, ensuring a protect and robust transition in the most critical point of the new structures.

The different materials tested in the composites are similar to the ones that will be employed fin hull appendage construction for fishing vessels. The embedded sensors have been employed to measure strain, waterflow, temperature changes, water-level/buoyancy and deformation/shape change of the panel in realistic lab conditions, providing a stable sensing signal under the expected mechanical and thermal stress.

The successful integration achieved in the milestone proves the viability of the monitoring technology for further uses in the REFEST consortium and will allow for the deployment and use of the fibre FBG sensors integrated in future tasks, including the installation and monitorization in real vessels for the latter stages of the project.

On 25-26 March 2026, REFEST participated in the EnergyON Summit in Poznań, one of Central and Eastern Europe’s leading events dedicated to energy transition and industrial decarbonisation. The project was represented in a networking capacity by Marcin Rakowski (Morski Instytut Rybacki – MIR), who engaged with stakeholders from industry, academia, and public institutions.

During the summit, participants explored emerging trends in securing and storing power reserves, with particular attention to innovative technologies for energy generation and storage.

REFEST representatives gathered valuable insights through discussions with manufacturers and distributors of power generation and energy storage equipment, as well as through participation in conference presentations and informal exchanges with experts from academia and government.

These networking activities provided an opportunity to better understand current technological developments and practical solutions relevant to port environments. The knowledge collected during the event will contribute to improving the understanding of modernization pathways and strengthening the availability and resilience of energy sources in ports, key aspects aligned with REFEST’s objectives.

The EnergyON Summit also offered an important platform to establish new connections and strengthen collaboration opportunities, reinforcing REFEST’s commitment to engaging with key stakeholders supporting the energy transition in maritime and port infrastructures

Within the framework of the REFEST project, Milestone 8, led by BlueNav partners, has been successfully achieved, marking an important step forward in the validation of innovative and energy-efficient propulsion solutions. This milestone reflects the project’s ongoing commitment to advancing sustainable maritime technologies and reducing environmental impact through cutting-edge engineering developments.

As part of Milestone 8, BlueNav successfully validated the propulsive efficiency of its RIM DRIVE prototype through a series of controlled tests conducted in a test pool. The evaluation was based on the 15 kW Bluespin motor in its latest configuration, combining bollard pull measurements with CFD open water and bollard pull calculations. The tests demonstrated that the system achieved a propulsive efficiency of 72.2%, surpassing the project target of 70% and confirming the technical maturity of the RIM DRIVE architecture. These results provide a validated efficiency baseline for the system and directly support BlueNav’s commitment to reducing CO₂ emissions through a more energy-efficient propulsion solution.

The successful achievement of Milestone 8 by the partner BlueNav represents a significant technical accomplishment for the REFEST consortium. By exceeding the targeted performance benchmarks, these results reinforce the project’s trajectory towards delivering reliable, high-efficiency propulsion systems, contributing to the broader objective of decarbonising the maritime sector.