Concept and approach
HEALTHY SAILING is structured around seven Work Packages responsible for the implementation of project activities and outputs. Task Leaders are responsible for the development of specific tasks for each Work Package.
The activities of each Work Package are highly interconnected, ensuring the project deliverables and results are interoperable.
HEALTHY SAILING has adopted an evidence-based methodological approach to achieve its objectives. This approach consists of four specific components:
- Harnessing multi-disciplinary expert opinion throughout the project lifecycle, through establishment of expert groups consisting of internal partners, external experts, target group representatives and policymakers.A HEALTHY SAILING Advisory Board – with representatives from international organizations, EU and non-EU countries and classification societies – ensures a global dimension of project outputs and involvement of all passenger shipping sectors.
- Evidence accumulation consisting of three specific phases:
- Initiation phase: focuses on data collection for foundational activities, defining specific ship and operational issues to be differentiated per ship type, and assessment of infectious disease risk per type of ship and port facility.
- Development phase: Proposed measures will be assessed through a range of modelling activities, including modelling of disease spread considering scenarios of introduced measures, modelling of droplet/aerosol dispersion and cost-benefit analysis of introduced measures.
- Validation phase: Verification of infectious disease prevention, mitigation and management measures will be validated on board and at port facilities through the conduct of pilot studies, technological demonstrations, behavioural changes surveys and impact assessments (via interventional surveys).
- Development of infectious disease prevention, mitigation and management measures, using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning techniques.
- Integration of HEALTHY SAILING outputs in relevant and appropriate contexts, development of a blended learning toolkit enriched with hands-on training (focused on crew members and passengers), production of evidence-informed guidelines and finalization of infectious disease measures for prevention/mitigation/management.
Overview of HEALTHY SAILING methodological approach
