Author(s)

F. Xavier, M. de Osés, J. O. Puig, M. la Castells Sanabra & R. G. Blanco

Abstract

Around 45% of European foreign trade, most of which is within the European Union, is still carried by road and is consequently conditioned by congested traffic, safety risks or high power consumption among other disadvantages, while only 40% is carried by sea by means of the short sea shipping formula. Short sea shipping in European waters has been considered by the national and European governments as one of the most feasible ways to discharge the everyday more congested roads and highways across Europe. Keeping in mind this scenario, the TRANSMAR research group of the Nautical Engineering and Sciences department from UPC, supported by the Spanish Ministry of endorsement, is studying the criteria that are going to provide the values for recommending or not, the best alternative transport means for exporting cargo from Spanish production points to the Mediterranean arc or Western European area. Keywords: transport, short sea trade, intermodality, cargo flows, commodities, inner traffic. 1 Introduction The European Commission and the own transport stakeholders have appreciated that the transport in Europe is growing at a high rate and that beyond 2010 perhaps the figures on inter European transport including the new accessed countries, will show a growth of more that 80% in volume, and unfortunately these values will not be absorbed only by the truck. Thus it is needed a big compromise for improve alternative ways to ensure the cargo movement.

Keywords

transport, short sea trade, intermodality, cargo flows, commodities, inner traffic.