INTRASEA - Inland Transports on Sea Routes
Overview
Background & policy context:
The project is part of the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) INTERREG III B Neighbourhood Programme Measure / Priority: Measure 2.2 'Creating sustainable communication links for improved spatial integration' that belongs to one of the three different strands of the European Community Initiative INTERREG III.
The programme is part-financed from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) covering the period 2000-2006. Strand B of the INTERREG Initiative supports transnational co-operation to enhance balanced and sustainable development of the European territory. The inland waterways have a substantial potential in the Baltic Sea Region.
The volume of goods transport in the Baltic Sea Region and on inland waterways is constantly growing. Further to the growing transport volumes, the inland waterways benefit the advantage to transport cargo in an environmentally friendly way.
Objectives:
INTRASEA is an interregional project developing the inland waterways in the Baltic Sea region.
The INTRASEA project will be focusing on:
- Developing the EU transport policy regarding inland waterways;
- Develop tools for economical and environmental justifications for infrastructure projects;
- Developing the integration of spatial planning;
- Networking for international sub-regional/European inland waterway cooperation;
- Developing and disseminating possibilities to use inland waterways for tourism.
INTRASEA works to connect and analyse future infrastructure investments in the Inland Waterways network in the Baltic Sea Region for maximum utilisation.
The existing tourist and logistic Inland Waterways in the Baltic Sea Region will all be evaluated within the INTRASEA project. The multi and intermodal transportation chains will be evaluated to identify operational and organisational structure problems.
The potential modal shift from road to inland waterway in an environmentally friendly way is also an important task on the INTRASEA agenda. Regional development is a key word for the project INTRASEA. This concerns also the use of inland waterways by the population for recreation and tourism and how to develop this growing usage.
The way ahead will focus on the possibility to extend the project into a second phase to further investigate possibilities in the development of inland waterway shipping, concentrating in particular waterways. The project aims now to carry the INTRASEA VISION2020+ forward, using the INTRASEA Strategy set up for this fulfilment as guidance for future success.
Methodology:
INTRASEA is divided into 5 work packages (WP):
- WP 1 - Infrastructure and Routes: The objectives for WP 1 are to extend and develop the inland waterway database and strengthen the combined capacity of national and transnational inland waterway networks in accordance with national and EU transport infrastructure plans.
- WP 2 - Regional Intersectorial strategies: Within this WP strategies will be developed that aim to create sustainable transport systems, increased trade, regional development and tourism in the Baltic Sea region. The strategies will include aspects of industry, regional and tourist development, environmental care and relevance for spatial planning in inland waterway areas.
- WP 3 - Modal shift & river-sea transport: WP 3 will perform a study on potential modal shift towards inland navigation in the Baltic Sea Region. The study will consist of working groups focusing on utilising the transport chain in a north-south and east-west direction.
- WP 4 - Infrastructure: This WP will focus on different factors of importance for the use of inland waterway and their respective function and indicators. How investments in inland waterways infrastructure are considered in the different countries are to be studied and listed.
- WP 5 - Tourism on inland waterways: To develop and disseminate the possibility to use inland waterways for national and international recreation as well as demonstrate the accessibility to the existing inland waterways in the Baltic Sea Area.
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