In this paper, the development of the ro-ro Short Sea Shipping (SSS) services offered at Italian ports in the last five years is analyzed. In particular, a detailed research on all the ro-ro SSS routes departing from and arriving to Italian ports, in the years 2008, 2010 and 2012, is performed. All routes regarding these three years are extensively reported. The study highlights two main aspects. The first aspect is that domestic ro-ro routes cannot constitute, by now, an alternative to domestic road freight transport: as no routes connect together two ports in the mainland, but they only connect the Italian mainland with the Italian islands. The second aspect is a general modification of the routes in recent years, particularly between 2010 and 2012: they tend to increase in number, decrease their frequency but increase their length, in particular with reference to the number of ports involved. This fact is a result of the economic crisis: on one hand the transport demand is decreased, and therefore the routes’ frequencies; on the other hand, the shipping companies look for new markets in order to face the reduction in traffic.
The motorways of the sea: a study on the development of the ro-ro network to/from Italian ports in the years 2008-2012
LUPI, MARINO;FARINA, ALESSANDRO
2013-01-01
Abstract
In this paper, the development of the ro-ro Short Sea Shipping (SSS) services offered at Italian ports in the last five years is analyzed. In particular, a detailed research on all the ro-ro SSS routes departing from and arriving to Italian ports, in the years 2008, 2010 and 2012, is performed. All routes regarding these three years are extensively reported. The study highlights two main aspects. The first aspect is that domestic ro-ro routes cannot constitute, by now, an alternative to domestic road freight transport: as no routes connect together two ports in the mainland, but they only connect the Italian mainland with the Italian islands. The second aspect is a general modification of the routes in recent years, particularly between 2010 and 2012: they tend to increase in number, decrease their frequency but increase their length, in particular with reference to the number of ports involved. This fact is a result of the economic crisis: on one hand the transport demand is decreased, and therefore the routes’ frequencies; on the other hand, the shipping companies look for new markets in order to face the reduction in traffic.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
