Short Sea Shuttle Concept

Research Project, 2012 – 2013

Short sea shipping is an important part of regional transport networks in many parts of the world, and efficient container shipping is vital for trade and industry in Northern Europe. The purpose of this paper is to define a container shipping concept, the Short Sea Shuttle concept, and to analyse the conditions under which the concept is competitive in a north-eastern European setting. The Short Sea Shuttle concept resembles feeder shipping, but it requires a higher degree of functional inland connections and fixed and stable schedules as well as high reliability and departure frequency. As such, it contains features of dryport systems with rail shuttles. Workshops and interviews with industrial stakeholders have revealed that a high punctuality is particularly important as it allows the transfer of cargo to sea, which currently is transported by other modes.