The MERIT project was officially inaugurated in November 2014 to promote the national marine cluster ’ s commercial potential – and also the new ICT technologies that are being developed for use within the marine industries .
The MERIT project is funded by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy in Finland and coordinated by the industry and trade office of the City of Helsinki .
In the first two years , the MERIT project has already proved to be a force to be reckoned with . Now that various digital applications are gaining headway in the maritime industries , MERIT has brought together knowledgeable people working both in maritime and ICT fields , thus providing new possiblities for interaction and networking .
MERIT has been scheduled for termination at the end of the year 2016 .
However , the markets for maritime ICT applications are on the increase . This will create new demand for technical innovations as well as for new cooperative projects . In these domains , the marine cluster has already established itself as a versatile operator .
CONSIDERABLE KNOW-HOW IN ENGINEERING AND ICT
To put ICT technologies and digitalisation to better use to benefit the maritime industries , quite a lot has been done up to now .
One example of the promising innovations is the ’ Smart Port ’ concept ,
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Various digital applications are gaining headway in the maritime industries .
Mr . Juha Ottelin , Logistics Manager at Kotka Mills , hopes that digitalisation will simplify maritime logistics operations and make shipping more flexible . photo : STOCKSNAP . IO
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