Short-sea shipping: an analysis of its determinants

Abstract

Recent trends in production such as global sourcing, just-in-time deliveries and fragmented production chains have determined clear patterns in relation to growth in demand for freight transport. Although road transport has adapted better to the needs of this modern economy, congestion threatens to overwhelm overland carriage and limit economic growth. The transportation industry faces the challenge of developing an efficient and effective complement to the existing road system. One possible strategy is to revitalize coastal shipping such as Short-Sea Shipping (SSS). The objective of this article is to carry out a literature review and show how SSS can alleviate traffic congestion and enhance economic development by maintaining freight flow efficiency. Because ship transport offers higher fuel economy and lower emissions of harmful pollutants, SSS is considered to be one of the most sustainable and economically competitive modes of transport.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Antonio Estache and two anonymous referees for useful discussions and comments. Any errors are, however, ours and should not be attributed to any of our affiliate institutions. This work was undertaken during a visiting period of Lourdes Trujillo at the Centre for Transport Studies, University College London.