Frank Kösters

Oct 10, 2024 | mdpi.com | Gerald Schernewski |Frank Kösters |Thomas Neumann |Mara Jekat

1. IntroductionMaritime transport plays a key role in the European economy, transporting about 75% of its external trade and approximately 31% of its internal trade [1]. During the next decades, the European Union’s Sustainable and Smart and Mobility Strategy aims at a significant increase in maritime transport, with required total investments until 2050 amounting to about 9.5 billion Euros [2]. This includes the deepening of existing navigation channels to enable larger ships.