Title: Method of assessing the role of short sea shipping in sustainable development of transport

Authors: Izabela Kotowska

Addresses: Faculty of Economics and Transport Engineering, Maritime University of Szczecin, ul. H. Poboznego 11, Szczecin, Poland

Abstract: The article presents the analysis of short sea shipping in the context of European sustainable transport. One of the goals of sustainable transport is to shift road freight transport to other modes of transport. Direct comparison of external costs generated in road and sea transport leads to erroneous conclusions. Sea transport is a part of a land-sea transport chain which additionally includes pre-haulage links and transhipment. This article presents a methodology of assessing external costs generated in land-sea transport chains and in alternative road transport. The model is based on actual consumption of fuel by vehicles. It takes into account the specific nature of short sea shipping, the external costs generated in transport nodes, pre-haulage transport and emissions generated by different types of vessels. The model can be applied to evaluate external benefits of infrastructure investment or a new shipping line. It also presents the practical application of the model.

Keywords: sustainable transport; intermodal transport; external costs; transport costs; short sea shipping; Ro-Ro ferries; container ships; sea transport; modal shift; land-sea transport chains; maritime transport; sustainability; sustainable development; Europe; pre-haulage links; transhipment; fuel consumption; vessel emissions; ship emissions; infrastructure investment; shipping lines.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSTL.2016.079290

International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics, 2016 Vol.8 No.6, pp.687 - 704

Accepted: 17 Dec 2015
Published online: 26 Sep 2016 *

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