Brussels, 17/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - According to a report carried out by the European Parliament, the Motorways of the Sea initiative has failed to increase the share of short distance maritime transport. Increasing the visibility of this project is recommended (which has a number of advantages) or a change of direction.
The Directorate General for Internal Policies at the European Parliament has looked into ways of improving the concept of the Motorways of the Sea, at the request of the institution's Transport Committee (TRAN). The Motorways of the Sea programme was set up in 2001 and experienced a number of modifications in an effort to develop a network of short distance maritime routes and contribute to the de-congestion of the roads. €400 million from the European budget was swallowed up in around 40 different projects (private and public investment is estimated to have been around €2 billion). The report quite clearly points out that “Despite these substantial investments, the share of short sea shipping compared to the shares of other modes dropped slightly in the period 2001-2011. One could therefore argue that stimulating short sea shipping has not directly resulted in a structurally better competitive position for this mode of transport”.
The report highlights this European initiative's lack of visibility and clarity. Certain ports have quite simply not been made aware about the programme, whilst others do not know about the opportunities it provides or initially believe it to be too complex. The report therefore recommends that the programme's overall profile is raised and clarified to stakeholders through more straightforward procedures for calls for proposals. The report also suggests, however, two alternative scenarios. If the goal is to reduce the environmental impact of transport, then there should be more emphasis on alternative fuels or innovative ship designs. It could also involve promoting a supply distribution chain in which short-term maritime transport plays a central role and which is better integrated with third countries. (Marie-Pauline Desset)