On 30 September 2025, the Universität Duisburg-Essen hosted the final event of the Interreg NWE project WISTAR at the Nano Energie Technik Zentrum (NETZ) in Duisburg. The event brought together stakeholders from research, industry, municipalities, ministries, international organisations, and other sectors to reflect on the project’s achievements and explore the future of sustainable inland waterway transport (IWT).
Presentations and insights from the WISTAR project
The program featured a comprehensive overview of WISTAR’s results and roadmap:
- Welcome remarks by Ann-Sophie Seemann, Interreg NWE representative
- Keynote by project manager Prof. Bernd Noche, outlining the project’s goals, achievements, and next steps
- Project presentations, including:
- Simulation models for simplified transshipment inland waterway networks (Melissa Szymiczek and Jaydeep Chaukekar)
- Demo canal “Caen à la Mer” and vessel energy management (Inna Alliot-Polgoui)
- Environmental impact and economic performance of small vessel networks (Theo Delferriere)
- Legal frameworks for urban-rural inland waterway networks (Rudolf Czech)
- Business models for IWT services across urban and rural areas (Loïc Pecher)
- Insights from European inland waterway initiatives, including AUTOFLEX HEU, IW-NET, Green Inland Ports, and MAGPIE
- Study results on energy transition and urban/short-range inland waterway transport (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. and PLANCO Consulting GmbH)
- Panel discussion with experts bridging research, industry, and policy
- Closing remarks by Prof. Rüdiger Ostrowski
Connecting research, innovation, and regional development
The event highlighted the potential of inland waterways as a sustainable, low-emission alternative for connecting urban and rural regions. Participants explored how innovative approaches in vessel technology, energy management, and network planning can foster regional value creation, enhance modal shift, and accelerate the energy transition in inland transport.
The WISTAR final event in Duisburg marked a milestone for the project, celebrating successful collaboration across sectors and demonstrating how research-driven innovations can shape the future of inland waterway transport in Europe.