BSC Project Story: Greening Supply Chains — From River Corridors to Port Roadmaps

Lithuania’s Electric Inland Waterway Takes Shape

The Lithuanian Inland Waterways Authority and Klaipėda Science and Technology Park have joined forces to develop Europe’s first fully electric inland waterway, stretching from the port of Klaipėda to Kaunas. Central to the pilot is the custom-designed electric pushboat and barge system, featuring modular propulsion adaptable for future use of hydrogen or ammonia fuel.

With charging infrastructure planned at inland ports, the pilot aims to shift freight traffic from roads to waterways while reducing emissions, congestion, and social costs related to noise and accidents (lc. Plotnikova & Vienažindienė cost modelling confirms significant external cost savings). According to one project collaborator, “This is not only a modern transport solution, but a demonstration of how inland navigation can rival road freight in efficiency and sustainability.”

The Autonomous Vessel “Electric Eel”, developed by Western Baltic Engineering for the Lithuanian Inland Waterway Authority, is expected to remove up to 10,000 trucks per year from Lithuanian roads—a leap toward modal shift and climate goals.

Ports Transitioning into Energy Innovation Hubs

Meanwhile, the Nordic cluster — led by IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute in partnership with Umeå Municipality, Umeå Energy AB, Infrastructure in Umeå AB (INAB), Port of Umeå and Kvarken Ports — has developed the ‘Roadmap for Sustainable Ports’ under the Interreg-funded Blue Supply Chains project. This strategic framework positions ports as energy hubs, coordinating the supply of green fuels like electric charging, hydrogen and methanol to ships and hinterland transport systems.

Focused on Umeå as a model, the roadmap guides port authorities through a six-step methodology: defining decarbonisation objectives (target year 2040), mapping current fuel use and bunkering infrastructure, forecasting future demands, evaluating technology candidates, engaging stakeholders, and planning implementation and follow-up. “Ports can no longer simply serve ships — they must proactively shape energy flows for transport chains ahead,” says Linda Styhre from IVL, who led the roadmap development. Alignment with EU policies such as FuelEU Maritime and the AFIR regulation ensures the roadmap equips ports for both compliance and competitiveness.

Where Demonstration Meets Strategy

These two Blue Supply Chains pilots demonstrate what coordinated climate action looks like: Lithuania’s Neman River pilot shows it is technologically feasible—and socially beneficial—to electrify inland shipping; the Umeå roadmap ensures ports will be able to supply clean energy to sustain this shift. Together, they embody the project’s three-pillar approach: electrification, alternative fuels strategy, and green transport chains.

This integrated model offers a replicable blueprint: vessels powered by clean energy sourced from ports that are themselves reimagined as renewable hubs. The pilot in Lithuania proves inland waterways can compete with road transport; the Nordic roadmap ensures infrastructure can support that shift. Regionally, this dual narrative can now be adapted and scaled by authorities across the Baltic—crafting green corridors like Klaipėda–Kaunas and aligning them with strategic port energy infrastructure in cities like Umeå and beyond.

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