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Pasaia, 1 June 2026. Europe’s fishing fleet faces one of its greatest challenges: decarbonising its operations in response to increasingly ambitious regulations—including the Green Deal, Fit for 55 and FuelEU Maritime—while operating an ageing fleet with limited resources to invest in the energy transition. Against this backdrop, the Basque initiative ORTZE-CV + KAINDAR has demonstrated that a practical solution already exists, has been successfully validated and is ready for commercial deployment. In recognition of this achievement, the European Commission presented the project with the ETP Champions 2026 Infrastructure Innovation Award during European Maritime Day, held on 22 May.
One of the most prestigious awards in the European maritime sector, the prize recognises solutions with the potential to transform Europe’s maritime, fisheries and aquaculture industries. The judging panel highlighted the initiative’s integrated, operational and highly replicable approach, validated under real port and at-sea conditions, with a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 8/9 and readiness for commercial deployment.
The distinctive strength of ORTZE-CV + KAINDAR lies in its system-wide approach. Rather than addressing the vessel or the port independently, the initiative integrates both into a single sun-to-propeller energy ecosystem combining renewable power generation, energy storage, smart charging infrastructure and hybrid propulsion.
The ecosystem is built around two complementary developments.
ORTZE-CV is a hybrid-electric fishing vessel with capacity for 16 people—including students, instructors and industry professionals—designed as an advanced training platform for sustainable fisheries and marine ecosystem observation. It operates in fully electric mode while in port, eliminating emissions, noise and fuel consumption during the most environmentally sensitive phases of operation, while reducing emissions by up to 25% during navigation.
KAINDAR is a modular plug-and-play renewable charging station that supplies clean electricity to the vessel while enabling bidirectional energy exchange with the port grid. The system addresses the shortage of renewable charging infrastructure in fishing ports while also enabling zero-emission port stays through shore-side electrical power supply (cold ironing).
Together, these two developments have transformed the Port of Pasaia into a real-world testing and validation environment for maritime decarbonisation technologies. The living lab also forms part of the Oarsoaldea Urdina strategy, which promotes a sustainable blue economy through innovation, education and industrial collaboration, linking technological development with regional socio-economic growth.
The project has already demonstrated measurable results under real operating conditions, including an approximately 25% reduction in CO₂ emissions per operation, the elimination of emissions and underwater noise while alongside in port, and lower fuel consumption. In parallel, more than 500 students receive annual training in skills related to the maritime energy transition.
These achievements build on a long-term R&D programme that began between 2017 and 2021, progressed through sea trials in 2022, incorporated the KAINDAR charging infrastructure in 2023 and culminated in the integration of the fully operational ecosystem in 2025.
The solution offers significant deployment potential across Europe’s more than 2,000 fishing and aquaculture ports that will need to decarbonise their operations over the coming years. Its modular Ship + Charger architecture allows it to be adapted to different operational environments, providing ports, fisheries organisations, companies and public authorities with a proven and scalable solution.
The initiative is led by CIFP Blas de Lezo LHII and has been developed in collaboration with Ingeteam, AZTI, Tknika, together with universities, companies and SMEs from the Basque innovation ecosystem specialising in energy, mobility and maritime technologies. The consortium brings together vocational education, applied research and industry within a single project, from initial concept through to market validation.
“This European recognition confirms that the energy transition of the maritime sector requires integrated solutions that are firmly rooted in local ecosystems and developed through close collaboration between industry, research organisations and education providers,” the project partners stated.
The initiative has received support from the HAZITEK and Smart Mobility Industry programmes, both aimed at promoting industrial innovation and sustainable mobility in the Basque Country.
CIFP Blas de Lezo LHII – A leading vocational education centre specialising in advanced maritime, fisheries and aquaculture training.
Ingeteam – An international company specialising in power electronics, automation, energy technologies and electric mobility, with operations in markets worldwide.
AZTI – A science and technology centre specialising in marine and food research, delivering applied research and innovation for a more sustainable society.
Tknika – The Basque Centre for Applied Innovation in Vocational Education and Training, dedicated to developing new technological and methodological capabilities for industry and society.