SHIP: A New Educational Model for Designing Sustainable Maritime Routes
In today’s landscape where sustainability, energy efficiency, and intermodality are reshaping sustainable maritime transport, the education of future professionals is also undergoing a transformation. In response to this shift, SHIP – Short-sea High-efficiency Intermodal Planning, a new training programme designed by the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport, has been launched in collaboration with the Technological University of Panama (UTP). The course was tailored for naval and mechanical engineering students and marks a significant step forward in applied maritime education.
A Strategic Planning Challenge on Board
Built to bridge academic knowledge and industry reality, the SHIP course immerses students in the full design process of a sustainable short sea shipping (SSS) service — from concept to implementation — integrating technical, economic, and environmental dimensions.
During a hands-on experience aboard a Grimaldi Lines Ro-Pax vessel sailing between Barcelona and Civitavecchia (Rome), participants worked through a practical exercise: the design of a hypothetical shipping line between Barcelona and Radès (Tunisia).
This challenge required students to assess market demand, select appropriate vessels, calculate transit times and operational costs (including crew, maintenance, and fuel), and estimate CO₂ emissions. All decisions were based on real-world data and aligned with current regulatory constraints, such as SECA zones, as well as future challenges, including alternative propulsion systems and ship design innovations.
Learning from the Inside Out
Consistent with the Escola’s experiential learning approach, SHIP blended technical lectures with dynamic, real-life applications. Students attended sessions on logistics planning, cost analysis, emission reduction strategies, and technological innovation. These were complemented by onboard visits to operational areas such as the bridge, engine room, and garage, along with collaborative workshops and group project development.
The programme also featured port operation observations and opportunities for technical debate and project presentations. This holistic method fostered a multidisciplinary understanding of the maritime logistics system, combining engineering, management, and sustainability competencies.
“In SHIP, we take engineers off their formula-driven highways and place them in the real world—where they first absorb reality, and then let the math do its magic,” explained Alexandre Ariza, Academic Manager at Escola Europea.
A Custom Programme with a Future Vision
Though initially designed to address a specific request from the UTP, SHIP is not a one-off initiative. Its success and relevance position it as a future staple in the Escola’s course portfolio. More than just technical content, the course promotes critical, interdisciplinary thinking—crucial for navigating a sector in constant evolution.
The SHIP programme proves that it is possible to train engineers not only to optimise routes by cost and time, but also to think ahead in terms of decarbonisation and energy transition. Because today, more than ever, planning sustainable logistics services starts well before the vessel sets sail—it starts in the classroom, in design tools, and in the strategic vision of the next generation of maritime leaders.
