Development of the short sea shuttle concept

The purpose of this study is to develop and define a container shipping concept – The Short Sea Shuttle Concept. The concept involves transport of containers between a number of ports and a hub port with functional inland connections, fixed schedules, and high reliability and departure frequency. Punctuality and high frequency are essential factors for the shuttles, as it allows a transfer of more time-sensitive cargo to sea, which currently is transported by other modes. The increased importance of shipping in a future transport system means that there are great demands on efficiency, sustainability and economic stability. The focus in this report is on the development of the concept for transport of cargo within, to and from Sweden. The Short Sea Shuttle Concept is defined as: High-frequency short sea liner shipping of standardised load units that is highly integrated into transport chains with functional inland connections. The main advantages of the Short Sea Shuttles Concept are lower costs for shippers, potential lower emissions and available infrastructure and vessel capacity. An implementation of a system of short sea shipping links will also bring preparedness for further capacity problems in railway and road infrastructures and will also open up new markets. Even though the potential is substantial, implementation of the concept is a challenge in other aspects, such as start-up risks and risk for low profitability due to low regional goods volumes. Initial market analysis has identified three main potential international routes for the Short Sea Shuttles in the region: 1) Norway-Sweden-Denmark, 2) Sweden-Finland-Russia, and 3) Sweden-the Baltic States.This report is only available in English