EMEA News
MEP: Shipping is the Mode of Transport for the Future, but EU Projects to Develop "Motorways of the Sea" Have Been Unsuccessful
Dominique Riquet, vice-president of the European Parliament Committee on Transport and Tourism, says the European Union (EU) has so far failed to develop shipping as "motorways of the sea," but with its smaller carbon footprint, shipping should be pushed as a mode of transport for the future, Euractiv reports.
The EU has has tried to encourage a shift away from road freight transportation to the sea, having established such programmes as Marco Polo in 2003, a funding program for new port infrastructure.
However, Riquet said the program was "not a success", in part due to the lack of support that was given to shipping companies.
"If you want to develop 'motorways of the sea,' of course you have to support port infrastructure, but you also need a fleet of ships that are suitable for these new routes," he said.
"With a much smaller carbon footprint than road transport, shipping should be pushed as a mode of transport for the future," Riquet added, who also noted that Europe owns 41 percent of the world's sea transport capacity.
Europe's €100 billion ($108.1 billion) shipping industry carries about 40 percent of the goods traded within the EU, said Riquet.
It was reported in 2013 that DFDS had applied to the Marco Polo program hoping for funds to support scrubber upgrades.
