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Short sea shipping (formerly coasting trade, coastal trade) refers to the movement of freight mainly on sea while remaining in the same continent without crossing an ocean. While deep sea shipping refers to maritime activity that crosses oceans. Some short sea ship vessels are small enough to travel inland on inland waterways. Short sea shipping includes the movements of wet and dry bulk cargoes, containers and passengers around the coast (say from Lisbon to Rotterdam or from New Orleans to Philadelphia). Typical ship sizes range from 1000dwt (tonnes deadweight - ie the amount of cargo they carry) to 15000dwt with drafts ranging from around 3m to 6m. Typical cargoes include grain, fertilisers, steel, coal, salt, stone, scrap and minerals (all in bulk), oil products (such as diesel oil, kerosene, aviation spirit - all in bulk), containers and passengers (yes, even ferries are technically short sea ships). Short sea shipping should not be mistaken with inland navigation. In Europe, short sea shipping is at the forefront of the European Union’s transportation policy. It currently accounts for roughly 40% of all freight moved in Europe. In the US, short sea shipping has yet to be utilized to the extent it is in Europe, but there is some development in the area. New York’s Port Inland Distribution Network (PIDN), and the private company Osprey Line are the best examples. The main advantages promoted for this type of shipping are alleviation of congestion, decrease of air pollution, and overall cost savings to the shipper and a government. Shipping goods by ship (one 4000dwt vessel is equivalent to between 100-200 trucks) is far more efficient and cost-effective than road transport (though the goods, if bound inland, then have to delivered by truck) and is much less prone to theft and damage. It is noteworthy to realize that while roughly 40% of all freight moved in Europe is classified as Short Sea Shipping the greater percentage of this cargo moves through Europe’s heartland on rivers and not oceans. In the past decade the term Short Sea Shipping has evolved in a broader sense to include cargo movements from point to point on inland waterways as well as inland to ocean ports for transhipment over oceans. In Europe the main hub of short sea shipping is Rotterdam, also the largest European port, with Antwerp as a second. The Dutch play an important role in this. They have also developed a hybrid vessel, allowed to navigate the sea as well as the Rhine into the Ruhrgebiet. The Dutch and Belgian main waterways (Meuse, Waal, Amsterdam-Rhine Canal, Scheldt) locks and bridges are built in accordance with this. Because of congestion in the larger ports, a number of smaller (container)ports have been developed, and the same goes for the Rhine-ports such as Duisbuurg and Dortmund in Germany. The ports of Hamburg, Felixstowe (now the largest port in the UK), Le Havre also play major roles. In Holland the sector has been radpidly growing also through a tax enabled investment scheme. The traditional region for building coasters is the province of Groningen, where most wharfs have side-laying ship slides. The major trend is to have bare hulls cheaply made in Poland or Rumania and build them off in Holland. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia : Inland (shipping and passenger ferry) |
