Il gemello digitale dell'oceano dell'UE e il suo utilizzo a supporto del trasporto ecologico.

Abstract

This thesis examines the EU Digital Twin of the Ocean (DTO), an ambitious federated environmental intelligence infrastructure developed and still under development under the EU Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030", and assesses its capacity to support the transition toward green waterborne transport. Drawing on peer-reviewed literature, policy documents, and operational evidence from the EDITO platform launched in June 2024, the analysis proceeds along four principal dimensions: environmental intelligence for fuel-efficient navigation, structural decarbonisation pathways, climate adaptation of port and coastal infrastructure, and environmental monitoring and ecosystem protection. The thesis establishes that the DTO, through its integration of Copernicus Marine Ser La tesi dimostra che il DTO, attraverso l'integrazione dei prodotti dati del Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS) e dell'European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet), migliora significativamente la qualità dell'intelligence ambientale disponibile per il processo decisionale in ambito marittimo. Le applicazioni operative includono l'ottimizzazione delle rotte intercontinentali e costiere utilizzando previsioni oceaniche quasi in tempo reale, la selezione dei siti per parchi eolici offshore e la pianificazione di corridoi marittimi ecocompatibili, i sistemi di allerta precoce in tempo reale per eventi oceanici estremi e la modellazione di scenari climatici a lungo termine per gli investimenti nelle infrastrutture portuali. Allo stesso tempo, l'analisi è onesta riguardo ai limiti del DTO. Il sistema attualmente non integra i dati operativi specifici delle navi, il che significa che funziona come un'ombra digitale ambientale di alta qualità piuttosto che come un gemello digitale bidirezionale completo del sistema di trasporto marittimo. Il divario tra la disponibilità dei dati e il cambiamento del comportamento operativo viene identificato principalmente come una sfida di governance pi

This thesis examines the EU Digital Twin of the Ocean (DTO), an ambitious federated environmental intelligence infrastructure developed and still under development under the EU Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030", and assesses its capacity to support the transition toward green waterborne transport. Drawing on peer-reviewed literature, policy documents, and operational evidence from the EDITO platform launched in June 2024, the analysis proceeds along four principal dimensions: environmental intelligence for fuel-efficient navigation, structural decarbonisation pathways, climate adaptation of port and coastal infrastructure, and environmental moThe thesis establishes that the DTO, through its integration of Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS) and European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) data products, materially improves the quality of environmental intelligence available for maritime decision-making. Operational applications include intercontinental and coastal route optimisation using near-real-time ocean forecasts, offshore wind farm site selection and green maritime corridor planning, real-time early warning systems for extreme ocean events, and long-term climate scenario modelling for port infrastructure investment. At the same time, the analysis is honest about the DTO's limitations. The system currently lacks integration of vessel-specific operational data, meaning it functions as a high-quality environmental Digital Shadow rather than a fully bidirectional Digital Twin of the maritime transport system. The gap between data availability and operational behaviour change is identified as primarily a governance challenge rather than a technical one. The thesis concludes that the DTO represents necessary but not sufficient infrastructure for green waterborne transport. Making it sufficient requires regulatory frameworks that embed its outputs in emissions compliance mechanisms, commercial incentive structures aligned with environment