Structural Change in Coastal, Inland Shipping
Experts discuss potential solutions at the 9th ShortSea, Feeder and Inland Waterway Shipping Dialogue. Volatile freight and charter rates, high fuel prices, unemployed vessels and the problems of ship financing are leading to structural change in coastal and inland waterway shipping. Experts are agreed on that. Yet what does this actually mean for the future of the shortsea, feeder and inland waterway ship trades? And how can companies prepare for the transition? At the invitation of the ShortSea and Inland Waterway Shipping Promotion Center (SPC) and Port of Hamburg Marketing (HHM), these and other questions on short sea and inland waterway shipping topics were discussed at the 9th ShortSea, Feeder and Inland Waterway Shipping Dialogue in the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce on 11 October.
Samskip Heads up New EU-Funded Project
CREATE3S is a new research project funded by the European Commission. Bringing together some of the leading companies in short sea shipping and ship design, CREATE3S aims to develop a new generation of short sea vessels utilizing advanced design and manufacturing techniques, enabling Europe to strengthen its shipping and shipbuilding competitiveness. The project is being coordinated by Samskip Multimodal Container Logistics BV in Rotterdam and the company says it intends to be a prominent user of the concept. The CREATE3S concept visualizes a vessel consisting of two principal modules: a ship hull module and one or more large cargo modules. The CREATE3S concept is intended to be equally applicable to container, dry bulk and liquid cargoes.
