About Seastars
SEASTARS is committed to driving decarbonization and energy efficiency in the maritime industry, ensuring compliance with evolving regulations and fostering sustainable innovation.
The project leverages Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and a phased assembly-to-order approach to help shipowners evaluate emissions reduction, enhance efficiency, and develop actionable decarbonization plans. Its modular technology design allows for scalable, phased upgrades, ensuring compliance with evolving regulations while managing investment risks.
Decisions are guided by real-time operational data, aligning new technologies with performance needs.
Key Objectives
SEASTARS delivers 8 innovative vessel designs—four optimized retrofits and four cutting-edge new builds —tailored for inland, short-sea and high-seas shipping. These designs help shipowners enhance efficiency and future-proof their fleet while reducing operational costs.
Traditional ship design methods struggle to bridge innovation and practicality. SEASTARS applies Model-Based System Engineering (MBSE) to seamlessly align shipowner needs with modular technology integration, ensuring every retrofit or new build delivers measurable efficiency gains.
SEASTARS develops detailed modularized (CAPELLA) models for next-generation vessel designs and MBSE-driven retrofit blueprints. Right after, SEASTARS will develop physical models to validate the efficiency improvements and emission reductions of the designs. The result: 20% energy efficiency gains and a 30% GHG emissions reduction—helping shipowners align with evolving EU decarbonization policies.
A new digital library of marine power and propulsion technologies allows shipowners to assess the carbon footprint of various fuel and system choices. Modularized system models provide instant insights on Carbon Intensity Indicators (CII), ensuring compliance and long-term sustainability.
SEASTARS does not just assess technology—it delivers real-world techno-economic analysis to guide investment decisions. By defining performance metrics for different ship types and collaborating with technology providers, the project helps shipowners adopt cost-effective and scalable decarbonization pathways.
Through design-thinking workshops for container vessels, crude oil tankers, PCTCs, and chemical tankers, SEASTARS promotes a modern, traceable evidence-driven approach to ship design. Insights are shared through leading shipbuilding conferences and trade fairs, ensuring the industry moves towards digitally integrated, efficiency-driven shipbuilding.
SEASTARS aspires to become a beacon project for the digitalization and decarbonization of shipping industry
Project partners pursue providing market-ready tools to ship owners-operators, ship builders-manufacturers and maritime private investors with concrete solutions tested on four different vessel types to achieve two main ambitions: the digitalization of the entire ship design process using modular and scalable applications, plus driving decarbonization and energy efficiency in shipping industry.
Discover the SEASTARS team
SEASTARS is led by the University of Strathclyde in collaboration with key industry players, research institutions, network associations and technology providers across Europe. Our consortium consists of 19 partners from 8 countries including experts in naval architecture, alternative fuels, emissions monitoring, and ship retrofit solutions, working together to drive sustainable shipping forward.
Leveraging the Strengths of SEASTARS Partners
SEASTARS is led by the University of Strathclyde in collaboration with key industry players, research institutions, network associations and technology providers across Europe. Our consortium consists of 19 partners from 8 countries including experts in naval architecture, alternative fuels, emissions monitoring, and ship retrofit solutions, working together to drive sustainable shipping forward.
These stakeholders contribute expertise in ship design, emissions reduction, alternative fuels, and clean energy technologies, making SEASTARS a powerhouse for sustainable innovation in the maritime sector.
Each partner brings unique capabilities, supporting SEASTARS’ goal to develop scalable and modular decarbonization solutions for the shipping industry.