CNR-INM team boarded (June 07 2025) the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche R/V Gaia Blu, anchored in the bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer, France, to kick off our new initiative: GAIA-TWIN – Digital Twinning of Research Vessel Gaia Blu for Enhanced Ship Response Monitoring and Prediction.
GAIA-TWIN aims to develop adaptive, data-driven, and model-free digital twins of the R/V Gaia Blu seakeeping response, leveraging high-resolution motion and environmental data collected during transits and oceanographic surveys.
These digital tools are designed to:
Predict real-time ship response under dynamic sea states and diverse vessel configurations
Support safer, more efficient, and flexible operations
Enable advanced monitoring during scientific missions at sea
The onboard team includes: Stefano Dalla Torre, Giorgio Palma, Riccardo Pellegrini, Ivan Santic, and Matteo Diez.
The data and insights generated by GAIA-TWIN will also contribute to advancing digital twin methodologies within the Italian PNRR MOST – Centro nazionale per la mobilità sostenibile initiative and will support ongoing research in the Office of Naval Research Global (ONR GLOBAL) funded DAPHNE project.
Gaia Blu will proudly take part in the United Nations World Oceans Day parade in Nice before setting sail for Trapani, Sicily. During this transit, we will record ship motion data to support our digital twin development.
For more information:
Dr. Matteo Diez
CNR – Institute of Marine Engineering (CNR-INM)
Email: