Over the past few months, the HS4U project has made significant strides in the development of solutions that will facilitate the early detection, prevention and mitigation of  communicable diseases on large passenger vessels and cruise ships, thus  progressing in its mission to enhance maritime health and safety. A key project milestone was the finalisation of HS4U’s mid-term progress report for the European Commission detailing the overall work carried out during the first 18 months of the project’s course and setting the stage for future developments. The European Commission expressed its support to the project and provided recommendations that will enhance the project’s efficiency and effectiveness.

HS4U partners also gathered at the project’s 3rd General Assembly held in Lisbon in June 2024, where they discussed critical technical issues relevant to the implementation of the project’s  Collaborative Digital Framework (CDF) and the hardware and software components of the HS4U architecture as well as plans for the project’s pilot activities. This in-person meeting provided an important opportunity to share insights and align efforts with the aim of  successfully reaching the project’s objectives.

As far as synergies with other relevant projects is concerned, the partnership with the Healthy Sailing project has been particularly fruitful. By identifying key research areas and potential topics for future collaboration, both projects have underscored the importance of joint efforts in advancing maritime solutions that can significantly reduce the spread of communicable diseases on passenger ships.

Technically, the HS4U project has made progress in several areas. One of the primary achievements has been the mapping of ship infrastructure to identify opportunities for the deployment of new sensors and actuators. This step is essential for the development of the HS4U technology basket, which is now finalised. Hardware requirements have been established to support the creation of HS4U scenarios in Task 2.2 and to assist the Collaborative Digital Framework (CDF). With design parameters for HS4U technologies nearing completion, the development of sensors and actuators has reached the halfway mark.

In parallel, experimentation and pilot implementation activities, as part of Work Package 5 have started. These activities include providing input for the HS4U scenarios and developing Key Performance indicators to assess impact categories such as usability and effectiveness in relation to the HS4U solutions. The collaborative nature of these efforts has been very important, leading to significant achievements.

The project’s work also featured in a scientific publication, “The Blue Book: Smart Sustainable Coastal Cities and Blue Growth Strategies for Marine and Maritime Environments” which was published by Springer in 2024. The book has gained widespread publicity in Greek media, thus boosting the project’s visibility and outreach.

In addition to The Blue Book, our partners have been consistently contributing to the project’s knowledge production and dissemination through the publication of scientific papers on topics such as screening and early detection of communicable diseases on cruise ships and ultra-scaled deep learning for temperature reconstruction in turbulent airflow ventilation.

As HS4U moves forward, these advancements lay a strong foundation for the implementation of innovative solutions aimed at enhancing the safety and resilience of the maritime industry. More information on the project’s publications and ongoing work is available here.