UK joins call for funds for North Sea shipping routes
Finance projects as part of Motorways of the Sea plan says UK and other parties


 

The Department for Transport today called on interested parties to bid for funds to finance projects in the North Sea region as part of the EU's plan to establish "Motorways of the Sea".

Motorways of the Sea will be key routes between EU member states and, sometimes, neighbouring third countries. They are intended to encourage high-quality regular services that can be combined with other modes of transport to provide efficient alternatives to road-only transport.

This stage, the first in a two-stage process, will close on 15 October 2007.

Following the close of this first stage, all UK bids will be evaluated by the Department and any other relevant North Sea countries' administrations. They will decide which bids will receive the necessary national government support to be eligible in the bidding process when the European Commission calls for bids for Trans European Network - Transport funding in December 2007.

The Commission will make the final decision on which projects will receive funding.

Motorways of the Sea funds are available for sea-related infrastructure projects in ports or which involve direct land and sea access to them. Qualifying projects could also include electronic logistics management systems, facilities to ensure and enhance safety and security, facilities to simplify administrative and customs procedures and facilities for icebreaking and dredging operations.

Start-up aid for shipping lines does not qualify for funding.

The same call is being published in other North Sea countries as a joint initiative of governments and authorities in the Belgium and the Flanders Region, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom, as well as European port and ship owners associations.

Total EU funding available for all Motorways of the Seas projects, across all qualifying states will be E310m (£209m) in the period 2007-2012. In addition to the North Sea region, other regional groups covering the Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean, Spain and France and the Atlantic will also bid for a share of these funds.

In the Joint Call, the paper highlights the importance of sea-going traffic in the North Sea:

"The North Sea is one of the busiest maritime regions in the world and central to this activity is short sea shipping. In 2005, short sea shipping in the North Sea Region totalled some 591 million tonnes. Regular liner services and ferries operate fast, reliable and flexible connections that carry a wide range of cargos in a wide range of vessels. These include charter vessels that transport bulk steel and construction materials between terminals in the region. Capacity in the region is currently enhanced by new and extra vessels and increased service frequencies.

"The countries around the North Sea (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom) constitute a potential market of over 188 million consumers. Industry and consumer demand create huge traffic flows, of both imports and exports which are increasingly using the North Sea. Road congestion in Europe and the established benefits of short sea shipping as a sustainable part of the logistics chain creates demand for the extension of the North Sea short sea network.

"Such extensions could include refinement of the hub and spoke concept and the provision of new and enhanced infrastructure, identified as key features of Motorways of the Sea concept. What is clear is that the North Sea region has significant potential to grow as a maritime region."

For more details see:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/freight/waterfreight/motorseaprojects