EU BACKS SHORT SEA SHIPPING

[proud_ionian]

The European Commission has adopted a Mid-Term Review of the Programme for the Promotion of Short Sea Shipping. It evaluates the results of the 14 initiatives that were introduced in 2003 to enhance the efficiency of Short Sea Shipping in Europe and concludes that: “Short sea shipping has proven to be a transport success story with good growth rates but further growth must be attained.”

European Commission Vice-President Jacques Barrot, who is in charge of Transport policy, said: “Motorways of the Sea are a crucial initiative to make transportation of goods in Europe more efficient and environmentally friendly.”

According to the EC, between 1995 and 2004, the ton-kilometre performance of Short Sea Shipping in the EU-25 grew by 32 %, while road performance grew by 35 %. Short sea shipping performs 39 % of all ton-kilometres in the EU-25 while the share of road is 44 %. The fastest growing segment of Short Sea Shipping is containerised cargo with average yearly growth rates of 8,8% since 2000.

source: MGN