The powerful Hellenic Shortsea Shipowners Association (HSSA) has called on the Greek EU presidency to back a new action plan – Naiades II – mapped out by the European Commission to strengthen inland waterways with the aim to improve the operational, economic and environmental performance of the sector.
In Europe, shortsea shipping is at the forefront of transportation policy. It currently accounts for roughly 40% of all freight moved in Europe and the aim is to increase this. Advantages of this type of shipping include alleviation of congestion, reduction of air pollution, and overall cost savings to the shipper and a government. Shipping goods by in 4,000 dwt vessel is equivalent to between 100-200 trucks.
Charalambos Simantonis, HSSA president, speaking on Greece assuming the six-month EU presidency said: "A basic objective of the Greek presidency, says Shipping and Aegean minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, is to preserve the competitiveness of European shipping over competitors outside the EU, especially those of the Far East. We agree fully with this, but would like to add 'there must also be competition within the European Union’.”
In parallel with the EU presidency, Greece takes on the mantle of chairing the European Network of Short Sea Shipping, and Simantonis said: "We have to highlight the capabilities of Greek shortsea shipping in Europe, and during the next few years give it a position similar to that enjoyed by the country's ocean-going shipping. Our union was founded in 1940 and it is unthinkable a pioneer in this field, which over several decades nurtured the subsequent ocean-going shipping, has been allowed to vegetate because of a total lack of planning and, primarily, because of state bureaucracy.”
He said: "We no longer refer to Mediterranean shipping, but to European shortsea, encompassing Europe's entire waterborne transport system. This is a shipping industry for 600m citizens, comprising 10,000 ships which sail permanently within Europe and in European ports, and are integrated into the European shortsea trade and in this sense, governed by European regulations.”
Simantonis, said HSSA's priorities are to become more extrovert and play a part in the legislative process; Increase the presence of Greek ships in European waters and shape the Greek flag to meet current needs by pressing the administration to introduce measures in line with the seafarers' work, and so stop the exodus from the Greek flag; and connect shortsea shipping with river transport network within and outside the EU.
He said HSSA has the goal to connect the Axios River to the Danube River via the Morava River, which would make Thessaloniki an international port and reduce the distance between Belgrade and Thessaloniki by 1,200 miles in relation to the route now used. This is not a new idea and connecting the Danube with the Aegean Sea by a navigable route dates back to the last century.
"Such a connection will dramatically reduce the time and cost of transportation. There is already considerable interest on this project from Chinese companies," said Simantonis, adding, "We want to create a global shortsea network with participants from the EU, the Americas and Asia. We are already in talks with shortsea organisations in Canada and the US and hope by the end of our mandate to have concrete results."
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