What does it really take to design an autonomous vessel from scratch? In this second episode of Path to AUTOFLEX, naval architect Dr. Igor Bačkalov from DST and Kristoffer Kloch from DFDS take us on a fascinating journey through the history of ship design, the concept of safety by design, and the unique regulatory challenges of bringing autonomous vessels to Europe's inland waterways.

From Magellan's five ships to a 400-meter container vessel with a crew of 22 - this conversation traces the long history of automation in shipping and asks what comes next.

This episode covers:

🔹 Part 1 - Ship Design Philosophy & Safety by Design (03:25)
How shipping has gradually evolved from human-centered operations toward increasingly automated systems and what that means for the future

🔹 Part 2 - Battery Constraints, Stability Rules & Future of Autonomous Shipping (30:01)
The real engineering and regulatory challenges of designing the AUTOFLEX vessel and why rethinking the rules matters as much as rethinking the technology

Guests:

• Dr. Igor Bačkalov - Naval Architect & Researcher, DST. Vice Chair of the European Council for Maritime Applied R&D (ECMAR)
• Kristoffer Kloch - Maritime Innovation Expert, DFDS

This podcast is produced as part of the AUTOFLEX project, funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme.

Learn more: autoflex-vessel.eu

Chapters:

(00:00) Intro Music(00:11) Welcome to Path to AUTOFLEX(01:14) Ship Design, Safety & Autonomy(03:25) Part 1 - Ship Design Philosophy & Safety by Design(30:01) Part 2 - Battery Constraints, Stability Rules & Future of Autonomous Shipping#AUTOFLEX #ShipDesign #AutonomousVessels #InlandWaterways #MaritimeInnovation #SafetyByDesign #HorizonEurope #BlueEconomy #NavalArchitecture

Why are Europe's inland waterways so underused despite being right on our doorstep? In this first episode of Path to AUTOFLEX, Cyril Alias from DST and Kristoffer Kloch from DFDS take us on a fascinating journey through the unique challenges of inland waterway transport - from the physical constraints of river dimensions to the complexity of building truly integrated logistics systems.

The conversation goes far beyond the vessel itself - exploring business models, investment risk, asset utilization, and the innovative Mobile Distribution Center concept that could revolutionize last-mile delivery along Europe's waterways.

This episode covers:

🔹 Part 1 - Waterway Constraints & Transport Systems (03:10)
Why trucks dominate and what it really takes to shift cargo back to water

🔹 Part 2 - Flexibility & De-Risking Investment (21:44)
The case for smaller, more flexible vessels and smarter business models

🔹 Part 3 - Last-Mile Delivery & Business Ecosystems (41:28)
The Mobile Distribution Center and building a viable autonomous shipping ecosystem

Guests:

• Cyril Alias - Head of Logistics & Transportation, DST
• Kristoffer Kloch - Maritime Innovation Expert, DFDS

This podcast is produced as part of the AUTOFLEX project, funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme.

Learn more: autoflex-vessel.eu

Chapters:

(00:00) Intro Music

(00:11) Welcome to Path to AUTOFLEX

(01:14) Rethinking Inland Waterway Transport

(03:10) Part 1 - Waterway Constraints & Transport Systems

(21:44) Part 2 - Flexibility & De-Risking Investment

(41:28) Part 3 - Last-Mile Delivery & Business Ecosystems

#AUTOFLEX #InlandWaterways #SustainableLogistics #AutonomousVessels #MaritimeInnovation #HorizonEurope #BlueEconomy #FreightTransport