Effective transport networks and corridors are vital to the balance and harmonious development of most countries and regions in the world. They are the economic ‘arteries’ of these countries and their nearby regions. People mobility, free goods and energy flow is the ‘blood’ inside such networks and corridors.

Congestion of the transport networks is today threatening the further growth of urban areas, causing decline in the economic growth and increased pollution in these areas. Novel solutions, enabling the local communities, countries and regions to fulfil their economic and social role is therefore paramount.

The theme establishes a better understanding of and contributes to the development and implementation of sustainable integrated maritime transport solutions. While technology alone will not solve the problems of transportation, this theme contributes to the development of novel and innovative transport solutions that simplify the lives of industry and citizens with satisfactory solutions for safety, health and the environment and the regulatory regimes for these issues.

Objectives

• Benefit from state-of-the-art thinking, technology and methods to solve problems related to congestion and enhance effective transportation

• Promote novel logistic solutions for intermodal transport

• Acquire new and complementary knowledge of dynamic value chains in the short sea shipping sector

• Enhance systemic decision-making in innovative design processes

• Improve methods, techniques and tools for more rational assessment of collaborative risks in transport value chains