METRO Project aims to improve the environmental sustainability in the field of maritime transport, with a specific focus on touristic connections in the North Adriatic area, through a synergic connection among Universities, companies and public bodies in the field of maritime transport and territorial development. This objective will be pursued both from the technological point of view (development of hybrid solutions to be adopted in vessels used for passenger’s transportation), and from the logistic one (study on the adaptation of power supply infrastructures in small harbours, definition of new routes to be established among north Adriatic ports). METRO partnership includes Institutions with diverse expertise, able to cover the whole supply chain of maritime transport: R&D in the field of engineering and maritime studies (Università di Trieste - UNITS, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Engineering RITEH, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Maritime Studies - PFRI), development and engineering of propulsion systems (Wartsila Italia Spa), shipbuilding (Tehnomont Brodogradiliste Pula doo), coordination and planning of port activities and maritime connections (Trieste Port Authority - TPA), territorial and economic development (Istrian development Agency - IDA). This pool of competences will allow the project to tackle the cross-border challenges in an innovative way, fostering the development of the maritime sector as a whole. The project addresses various challenges that affect the Programme area, such as the need for more integrated, efficient and sustainable maritime connections between the eligible territories, the necessity to reduce traffic congestion caused by seasonal tourism flows, and the need to tackle the continuous lack of competitiveness of companies in shipbuilding. In this context, METRO project will be able to exploit the opportunities and the expertise available in the Programme area, and will be able to strengthen the potentials represented by “green” shipbuilding and modern technologies as a driving force for the whole maritime sector in the cross-border area.