page 1 of 17 NEW FRONTIERS THROUGH SHORT SEA SHIPPING

Short sea shipping is a policy choice of the European Union and affects all transport activities across Europe. Taking the European experience as an example and not as a pilot project, expansion of short sea shipping can be achieved everywhere on the globe. Although short sea shipping offers many advantages to policy makers such as improvement of the efficiency of intermodal transport, environmental friendliness and enhancement of competitiveness, it also reveals the inadequate infrastructure of ports and hinterland connections and the gap between the policy makers and market forces. The growing demand for transport services (both freight and passengers), fast and accurate services-Just In Time, the increasing imbalance between different modes and the investment in transport infrastructure are the main points of concern of all planners. The only way to achieve the shift of cargo from land to sea is through technology and regulatory arrangement. Technical solutions are not worthy when they cannot be applied. The main obstacle in promoting intermodality is the cost, and also some barriers of the existing legal system. Every design can be feasible if it is also included in the existing regulatory and logistical system. Th