At the moment, waterways as a transport mode are not used to their full potential; hence cargo transported on the Danube is only 10-20% of that transported on the Rhine (cf. DG REGIO leaflet "The EU Strategy for the Danube Region", December 2010). The NEWS project will be able to contribute to the Danube Region Strategy's (EUSDR) aim to increase cargo transport on the river by 20% by 2020 compared to the year 2010 by making container transport for inland waterways eco-friendly as well as transport-, volume- and energy-efficient.According to the EUSDR and the NAIADES Action Programme (promote inland waterway transport in Europe), NEWS will develop specific technical and logistical solutions to improve mobility and multimodality in Europe by combining a technical solution with the appropriate logistical implementation. Particular challenges such as environmental threats and untapped shipping potential will be faced by NEWS and by its adjusted container logistics concept for the targeted hinterland. Expected growth of traffic (up to 20% in the Eastern European Region until 2025, see Austrian Chamber of Commerce 2011, p. 1), is forcing an extensive and cross-border relocation of goods traffic favouring inland waterways. Road and railway have already reached their capacity limits, whereas inland waterways still offer a large potential to take over the ongoing growth of goods. One of the strategic goals of this project is to support this underutilised, but available capacity and to attract public attention to the potential of inland waterways and especially for container shipping. As a result, the full integration of waterborne transport into the EU transport and logistics chain is actively supported.The project will identify cross-border impacts, especially for the Danube Region and its hinterland, on a macro-location scale. It will include an assessment of regional added value regarding Danube linked waterways (e.g. Rhine, secondary waterways: Meuse, Saar, Mosel, Sava or Tisa) and of spatial implications (e.g. port and logistics industry, intermodality). On a micro-location scale, possible necessary new river port infra- and suprastructural elements will be identified and conceptually developed based on different case studies. Subsequently, the appropriate logistical network structures for container logistics are identified followed by a micro-analysis for the targeted catchment area. This is done with the overall goal to contribute to the development of ports in the Danube river basin into multimodal logistics centres and efficient multimodal terminals to connect inland waterways with rail and road transport by the year 2020.Taking the Austrian, Hungarian, Slovenian, Slovakian, German, Romanian and Serbian position papers for the EU Strategy for the Danube Region into account, especially Priority Area 1 – Danube Navigation (AT/RO)• Priority Area 8 - Network of clusters, cooperation of enterprises and research and technology development (RTD) for enhanced competitiveness (AT)• Improving transport in the Danube region (HU)• Development of multimodal corridors in the Danube region (SK)• Support for economic development and competitiveness (SK)• "Transport greening" policy (SLO)• Provide modern transportation on the Danube, basis for economic growth (RO)• Provide intermodality by turning the ports into logistical centres for the inter-modal transport (RO)• Shifting more goods traffic to the Danube (GER)• are supported by NEWS.ObjectivesDeveloping and validating a novel container ship which will include the following technical innovations:• re-design of a standard inland ship hull à increase of transport efficiency (+ 100%) whilst maintaining standard technical and infrastructural dimensions• adaptable draught à crossing below even low bridges and react to altering water-levels à increase of days of navigability• an adjustable diesel-/gas-/LNG-electric energy- and propulsion system à increase of resource efficiency (up to + 30%), decrease of harmful exhaust emissionsTailoring a special-designed and integrated logistics system which will include the complying logistical innovations:• an adapted logistics and supply system for the respective demands of market in the catchment area• enlargement of the European inland waterway system for container transport à adapting the novel container ship for a use on waterways UNECE classes III and IV and making secondary waterways in Europe accessible• new river ports infrastructure concepts• re-evaluation of multimodal activitiesThe project therefore contributes to the modernization of the European inland waterway fleet and the surrounding logistics systems. The environmental and economic performance in the European inland waterway system will hence be improved. All components (i.e. hull, propulsion system, logistics concepts) may also be used separately as innovative amendments for other purposes.Concluding, the novel container ship will be able to meet operators targeted costs, optimize time-management (reliability), answer to inland shipping-specific bottlenecks (e.g. low bridges, shallow waters), improve carbon footprints and thus successfully compete with road and railway transport. A significant modal shift is aspired, especially to the Danube and its hinterland.