Gregory Yovanof presents on blue growth digital innovation hubs, with a focus on STRATEGIS, the maritime ICT cluster in Piraeus, Greece. The presentation covers trends in digital shipping technologies like IoT, autonomous vessels, and remote operations. It discusses how ports like Rotterdam are becoming smarter through digital technologies. STRATEGIS aims to offer maritime services and synergies to enable growth through R&D, consulting, technology commercialization, education and more. It is partnering with other organizations as part of a blue growth digital innovation hub in Piraeus.

1. Blue-Growth Digital Innovation Hubs &
STRATEGIS - Maritime ICT cluster
Gregory S. Yovanof, PhD
STRATEGIS – Maritime Center of Excellence, Piraeus Greece
CPMR AI-NURECC Initiative @ 4th EUSAIR Annual Forum, Budva, Montenegro [May, 6, 2019]

2. Agenda
• The Blue Economy
– Global Trends & New Technologies in Shipping
• Strategy for Digital Shipping
– Strategic Imperative: Digitize or Die
• Blue-Growth Digital Innovation Hubs
–STRATEGIS Maritime ICT Cluster [Piraeus, Greece]

3. Blue Economy
WHAT IS THE BLUE ECONOMY?
• All economic activities related
to oceans, seas & coasts
– Blue economy covers
a wide range of
interlinked
established &
emerging sectors
https://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/sites/maritimeaffairs/files/2018-annual-
economic-report-on-blue-economy_en.pdf

4. How Big is the Ocean Economy?
4
Annual “Gross Marine Product”
(GMP) is evaluated at least
USD $2.5 trillion *
Direct employment 35 million
90% of the people who derive livelihoods
from fishing live in developing countries
Major source of protein for
1 billion people
Source: World bank, Global Partnership on Ocean and *Reviving The Ocean Economy, Case for Action, WWF 2015
Global Asset Value of Ocean
estimated at USD 24 trillion*

5. www.marineboard.eu
Blue Growth & Blue Technologies:
EU Innovation Hotspots
• Robotics &
Autonomous Systems
• Nature inspired design
• Renewable energy harvesting
from wave energy to algae
biofuels
• High performance computing
& ICT innovations
• Multi-sector partnerships
– fast tracking innovation
“Navigating the Future IV”, Position Paper 20, European Marine Board, June 2013

6. United Nations Decade of Ocean Science
for Sustainable Development (2021-2030)
8
https://en.unesco.org/ocean-decade

7. Global Marine Trends
• “Shipping – probably the most
important business on the planet”
– “Without ships there is no world
trade and even the most
pessimistic global economic
health scenario … sees a big
future for shipping”
– Nick Brown, Lloyd’s Register’s
Marine Communications
Manager
“Global Marine Trends 2030,” Lloyd’s Register, QinetQ, Strathclyde Univ., 2013
More than 90 per cent of
global trade is carried by sea

8. BCG, “The Digital Imperative in
Container Shipping” Feb. 5, 2018
Seven Digital Trends Will
Transform Container Shipping
• e-Platforms
• Advanced Analytics
• Internet of Things
• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Autonomous Vessels &
Robotics
• Blockchain
• Cyber-Security 13
* http://image-src.bcg.com/Images/BCG-The-Digital-
Imperative-in-Container-Shipping-Feb-2018_tcm9-183567.pdf
Sam Chambers, Splash247, “Boston Consulting report tells carriers to digitize or die,” Feb. 5, 2018

9. Hamburg Port Authority – A Network for
Water, Roads & Rail
IT-supported traffic management,
data exchange and video &
telephone conferences all run on
the same system
This means cargo containers can be
forwarded more quickly by
water, road & rail
“We decided to go with Cisco
technology from the very start. As
the largest player in the industry,
Cisco stands for future-proof,
state-of-the-art technologies.”
Dr. Sebastian Saxe, CIO of the
Hamburg Port Authority

10. In the IoT, sensors
and actuators
embedded in
physical objects are
linked together
through wired &
wireless networks
When objects can both sense the environment and communicate, they
become tools for understanding complexity and responding to it swiftly.
• They can work without human intervention. *
Geil Fagerhus, Director MARSEC-XL Int’l “Building the Maritime Internet of Things” April 4 2014, Vallejo, CA
Intelligent, Connected-Vessel
Maritime IoT – Digital Ship

11. Autonomous, Unmanned Ship
of the Future
• In an age of aerial drones and driver-less cars,
Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc is designing
unmanned cargo ships (Bloomberg, Feb. 25, 2014)
– Drone ships would be safer, cheaper and less polluting
for the $375 billion shipping industry that carries
90 percent of world trade, Rolls-Royce says
VIDEO [27 June 2016] https://www.rt.com/viral/348619-rolls-royce-remote-ships/

12. Wärtsilä demonstrates remote control
capabilities from 5,000 miles away (Sep 2017)
• Wärtsilä has successfully
carried out remote control
of a ship, using Dynamic
Positioning & manual
joystick control to operate
a vessel in the North Sea
from a California base
[Sep. 1, 2017]
– VIDEO: https://youtu.be/6_DbZz9RJ6g
17
* http://www.fathom-news.com/wartsila-demonstrates-remote-control-capabilities-5000-miles-away/
Gulfmark Offshore PSV 'Highland
Chieftain' was taken through four
hours of manoeuvers from a
control centre 5,000 miles away
Gulfmark
Offshore PSV
'Highland Chieftain'

13. Autonomous Zero Emissions Container
Ship (Yara & Kongsberg, May 2017)
• ‘YARA Birkeland’ The
world's first autonomous,
zero emission container
ship
– Operation is planned to start
in the latter half of 2018,
shipping products from YARA's
Porsgrunn production plant to
Brevik and Larvik in Norway
[Announced: May 9, 2017]
https://youtu.be/5VBD7hVRhx0

14. UKSR Signs First Autonomous Vessel
to UK Flag
• The UK Ship Register has signed
its first ever autonomous
unmanned vessel to the flag,
ASV’s C-Worker 7, adapting to
the changes of the maritime
industry [NOV. 13, 2017]
– C-Worker 7 is a multi-role work class ASV
suitable for a variety of offshore and
coastal tasks.
– The vessel is used by the oil and gas
industry for tasks such as offshore
construction support.
20
https://www.asvglobal.com/uksr-signs-first-autonomous-vessel-uk-flag/

15. Submersibles ROV & AUV
• ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle)
The Swiss Army Knife of Underwater Robots
– An ROV is an unoccupied vehicle connected to a ship
by a group of cables, which allows a human to
command it from above the surface
– ROVs usually perform the work of human divers in
cases where diver safety is called into question, such
as working in deep water
• AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle)
The Smart Car for the Ocean
– AUVs are autonomous underwater vehicles that can
act on their own
– Ideal for longer scientific surveys and missions where
constant human supervision is not needed, AUVs can be
preprogrammed with an assignment and location 21
https://www.rjeint.com/whats-difference-rov-auv/ By RJE International July 19, 2017
An AUV being lowered into
the water Credits: Mierlo /
wikipedia.org
ROV Hercules collects
a sample of a deep-sea
coral.
oceanexplorer.noaa.gov
The Mohawk ROV
in Flower Garden
Banks National
Marine Sanctuary.
Photo provided by
NOAA.

16. ARCHEOSUb Project
• The ARCHEOSUb (Autonomous
underwater Robotic and sensing
systems for Cultural Heritage
discovery Conservation and in
situ valorization) project aims to
– develop products and services in
support of the discovery of new
Underwater Cultural Heritage
(UCH) sites and of the surveying,
conservation, protection, and
valorization of new and existing
ones
http://www.archeosub.eu
24
FeelHippo AUV

17. The 4th Shipping Revolution is ON
http://www.autonomous-ship.org/events/171106-trd/trd-sintef.pdf

18. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
How do you stay Afloat in a Sea of Change?

19. A Global Race for Attractiveness
Nations and city regions
compete to be the most
attractive locations for
knowledge intensive
industries
Professor Torger Reve, BI Norwegian School of Management, “From Industrial Clusters to Global
Knowledge Hubs”, MOC Network Cluster Research Workshop, Harvard Business School, Dec 12, 2010.
Leading Maritime Clusters
are competing for talent in
order to deliver quality,
service and be innovative

20. EU Maritime Clusters

21. Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs)
• There are several
initiatives of the EC to
shape the pan-European
network of DIHs
Digital innovation hubs
– with the focus on helping
SMEs to master their
digital transformation
32
https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/digital-innovation-hubs

22. Port of Rotterdam Joins Forces With IBM to
Become Smartest Port in the World
• Port of Rotterdam teams
with IBM Internet of Things
to digitize operations and
build a connected, smart
port of the future
– IBM is helping reshape
Europe’s largest port with
Digital Twin, predictive
weather insights, 3D printing,
and connected devices
https://twitter.com/IBMIoT/status/971454548123451394
33

23. Greece owns world’s most valuable
fleet at 100 billion USD
Hellenic Shipping News
Feb. 1, 2018
• Greek owners remain the
dominant force in global
shipping
– The current value of their
owned fleet stands at
almost exactly $100bn,
putting the country at the
top of the table
– The value is concentrated in the Tanker
($36bn), Bulker ($35.75bn), and LNG
($13.5) vessel types
– Hellenic control of these markets stands at
about 19% of the total worth of the fleets
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DU6NNjPW4AEB5pD.jpg:large
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/greece-owns-worlds-most-
valuable-fleet-at-100-billion-usd/

24. STRATEGIS
Maritime ICT Cluster in Piraeus
A Catalyst of Regional Growth
www.strategis-cluster.com

25. STRATEGIS – Vision
To become a world-class
Maritime ICT Cluster &
Technology Flagship of the
Greek Shipping Industry in
the Digital Age

26. STRATEGIS – Mission
To offer 21st century
maritime services &
synergies for growth
enabling Smart Sea –
sustainable business
opportunities in the
greater SEE region

27. STRATEGIS - Services
• R&D in Blue Economy & Digital Shipping
• Strategy Consulting
• Commercialization of
Disruptive Technologies
• Education & Training
• Clusters of Innovation
• Entrepreneurship
21st century
maritime services &
synergies for growth

28. STRATEGIS – Maritime ICT Cluster
Remi Maritime Co.
June 29, 2018

29. 40
Piraeus Blue Growth Digital
Innovation Hub (BG-DIH)
• BG-DIH is a regional multi-
partner cooperation serving
as one stop-shop that helps
Blue Economy companies
to become more
competitive with regard to
their business/production
processes, products or
services using digital
technologies
• http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/digital
-innovation-hubs-tool/-/dih/2491/view

30. Fostering a Regional
Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
• Aephoria.net &
BlueGrowthPiraeus
• Municipality of Piraeus
– Business Plan Competitions
– Hackathons,
– Incubators
– Startups
http://bluegrowth.gr/

31. Openichnos – “The Connected Yacht”
IoT Integration
• Openichnos, the winner of the
3rd Blue Growth Competition
(March 2017), offers an energy
autonomous global tracking and
monitoring device accompanied
with a cloud dashboard
– With the mission to offer an
efficient global tracking and sensor-
based monitoring (IoT) solution for
the yacht recreational market,
Openichnos has recently introduced
the “Connected Yacht” approach
• www.openichnos.com
• Openichnos is a member of the
STRATEGIS cluster
http://www.bluegrowth.gr/the-connected-yacht-iot-integration/

32. www.NEREUSmaritime.com
• The Nereus platform is a
1m, rugged, all fiberglass
unmanned marine
monitoring system
– The Nereus includes an autopilot
as standard equipment
– It can operate in both fully
autonomous, heading lock, or
manual modes and features a
real-time data link allowing new
waypoint based missions to be
uploaded wirelessly in real time www.nereusmaritime.com
• PIRAEUS BLUE HACKATHON 2017 BY BLUEGROWTH
• The NEREUS team has been awarded the
1rst Prize in the Piraeus Maritime
Hackathon 2017 for their innovative idea on
"Self-navigating vessel for special
transfers to remote island clusters"
• The NEREUS team is currently supported by
SETEL Hellas

33. Expanding a Web of
Synergies & Collaborations
SetelHellas &
Cisco Systems
“Unlock the Business
Value of Digital Ship”

34. GMC Maritime Training Center
• GMC Facilities:
– Piraeus, Chios, Kalymnos
– Aboa Mare Finland
Basic & Advanced Training
for Ships Operating in
Polar waters
http://www.gmcmaritimecenter.gr/

35. Athens Information Technology
• http://vital-iot.eu/partners
– The future of Smart Cities
• http://secureiot.eu/partners
– SecureIoT project focuses on delivering
predictive IoT security services
• http://www.faredge.eu/#/partners
– Factory automation, Edge computing,
Operating system, Reference
implementation
• http://fiesta-iot.eu/
– Federated Interoperable Semantic IoT
Testbeds and Applications
• https://sansa-h2020.eu/
– Shared Access Terrestrial-Satellite Backhaul
Network enabled by Smart Antennas
www.ait.gr

36. OPTIONSNET & Lynceus2Market – People Localization
for Safe Evacuation of Large Passenger Ships
http://marinem.org/portfolio-item/lynceus2market/
OPTIONSNET
@OPTIONSNET_GR

37. FEAC Engineering
DigitalTwin
https://www.feacomp.com/ Simulation Driven Product Development Services

38. Vesselbot
• Vesselbot - A digital chartering
marketplace which brings
Charterers & Vessel Owners
together in the Bulk Maritime
industry.
https://www.vesselbot.com/

39. A Blue Growth Digital Innovation Hub
Piraeus, Greece
Extended Network – Partnerships
51

40. Vision - To inspire the next generation
of entrepreneurs to create sustainable
economic, social, and environmental
growth in the maritime sector
Mission - To enable, equip, and
educate young entrepreneurs, through
collaboration with the Maritime Industry
and Academic community.
What is BlueGrowth?
Key facts
20 Start-ups Launched since 2014
55 Jobs Created
65 Community Networking Events
PIRAEUS: URBACT GOOD PRACTICE CITY!
Advisors
Funding
Incubation
Process
Start-up
Facilities
Innovation &
Networking
Events
Industry
Mentors
What’s in the BlueGrowth Ecosystem?
• BlueGrowth Initiative has been awarded the URBACT Good
Practice City label.
• Piraeus good practice has been selected among 270
proposals submitted by European cities.
• Opportunity to network with European and city policy-
makers
• Share its experience within Transfer networks
• Lead and mentor the process of understanding, adapting
and reusing the good practice by other cities through
workshops
• Participation in URBACT events for the promotion of good
practices
• Becoming an advocate of sustainable integrated urban
development at URBACT events (conventions, workshops,
related to Urban Agenda for EU, etc) and capacity building

41. STRATEGIS – Member of
URBACT Local Support Group (LSG)
• URBACT Local Support
Groups (ULSG) are a
fundamental building block
of the URBACT programme
– Each URBACT partner is
required to set up a
Local Support Group gathering
key local stakeholders in order
to co-produce the Local
Action Plan (LAP)
• The URBACT LSG Toolkit
– has been created to support partner
cities with the challenging task of
developing participatory action-
planning and implementation
https://urbact.eu/tech-revolution-the-art-of-the-possible

42. Strategic Partnerships/Collaborations
• Maritime Surveillance
– PROTeus project & Cluster
• Blue Energy
– PELAGOS Cluster Affiliation
• Blue Biotechnology
– MoU with BIONIAN Cluster
(July 4, 2017)
• Defence & Dual-Use Technologies
– MoU with AUG Signals Hellas
(Feb. 22, 2019)
55www.marineboar.eu

43. Participation in Med Blue Growth events
• G.S. Yovanof,
Strategis, “Networks
of Innovation
& the Role of PPP’s in
the Knowledge-based
Blue Economy”
– Med BLUE GROWTH,
“The Cluster Approach
for a Sustainable Blue
Growth in the Med”,
Titania Hotel, Athens,
Jun 20, 2018
https://twitter.com/InnoBlueGrowth/status/1
009414317953961987

44. Regional Innovation Workshop
Patras IQ2018 (Apr 27, 2018)
• G.S. Yovanof,
“STRATEGIS –
Maritime ICT Cluster
a DIH”, Patras IQ2018,
Apr. 27, 2018
– https://we.tl/olVW8qkFLa
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=cTKgodNR6cA
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTKgodNR6cA
https://www.patrasiq.gr/

45. Member of the EDSP
European Defence Skills Partnership
• Strategis became a member of
the European Defence Skills
Partnership – EDSP [Sep. 2018]
participating in the project on
– "Defence-related skills: Building
evidence on skills shortages, gaps and
mismatches and defining the sector's
strategy on skills",
• led by RAND Europe
– Focus on Dual-use Technologies
[Big Data, AI, Robotics, Autonomous
systems, Blockchain, …] 59
www.eudsp.eu

46. Critical Success Factors
• Regional Creative Capital
– Knowledge Creation, Communication,
Capitalization
• Quadruple Helix approach
– Industry, Academia, Public
Authorities, Citizens
• Building trust among partners
& regional stakeholders
• Establish strong links with
Global Networks of Innovation
• Clear vision
• Strong brand
• Strategic Plan
• Sustainability

47. Conclusion
• Shipping is on the verge of a Digital Disruption
– Strategic Imperative: Digitize or Die
– Maritime Digitalization creates many opportunities for employment
• Networks of Innovation in Digital Shipping
– Global race for talent by regional Knowledge Hubs
– Piraeus, emerges as a global Blue-Growth Digital Innovation Hub
• Blue Growth & the Blue Economy
– Offer great opportunities for Smart, Sustainable Growth in
the SEE region
64

48. Thank You!
Gregory S. Yovanof
STRATEGIS - Maritime Center of Excellence
email: director@strategis-cluster.com cel: +30 6973 696 408
@StrategisClustr