Maritime transport

Promotion Platforms

• Almost all coastal Member States with a coastline have nominated Focal Points and so have the European Economic Area countries Norway and Iceland, and candidate countries Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. Furthermore, Croatia has a Focal Point.
   
  These representatives of national maritime administrations have been assigned the task of promoting Short Sea Shipping at national level. Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Turkey have corresponding national contact persons. The Focal Points oversee European actions and their regular meetings represent an indispensable platform for the European promotion of Short Sea Shipping.
   

• Almost all Member States with a coastline and Norway have industry-driven national  Short Sea Promotion Centres.
   

• These Centres constitute practical tools to distribute information and give impartial advice on the use of Short Sea Shipping to anyone who wants it. The Centres can also extend the scope of this advice beyond national borders because they have joined their expertise in the  European Short Sea Network under the slogan ‘Your Navigator from Highway to Waterway’ (see www.shortsea.info)
   

• The Thematic Network for Short Sea Shipping (REALISE) is carrying out reasearch and development (RTD) activities that are closely linked to Short Sea Shipping policy. For further information, please visit their website www.realise-sss.org.