MOS4MOS progresses towards final stage

The concept was stressed during the Information Days on Piloting and Training, which was hosted by the Port Authority of Barcelona last week. The MOS4MOS project is comprised of various initiatives with a common goal of contributing to the “efficient development of short sea shipping through the application of new technologies”, as was summarised by Santiago García-Milà, the sub-director of Strategy and Commerce in the Port of Barcelona.

Luis Valente de Oliveira, the European Coordinator for the Motorways of the Sea and Chairman of the Peer Review Group of this TEN-T project, stressed that at the moment most worry about the economy and “the cheaper we manage to make transport work, the more we will be able to help increase the activity and consequently improve the economy”.

Professor Valente de Oliveira also stressed that the results of the project will be presented at the end of this month in the European Parliament and that, although only four member states represented by 28 public and private entities participate in the project, the results could serve the interest of all countries in the EU wishing to enhance competitiveness.

The 15 initiatives of MOS4MOS can be divided into 4 thematic areas: Port Level initiatives, Port-to-Port initiatives, Port-to-Hinterland Initiatives and Door-to-Door initiatives.

One initiative worth highlighting is the Electronic T2L, led by the Valenciaport Foundation. The electronic T2L document is a proof of Community Status for European products. Currently, to prove the origin of such freight is very complex and generally dominated by paperwork. Spanish Customs has already declared that it will want to have the electronic T2L system operational in the Spanish ports by the end of this year. According to estimates, it could lead to savings of up to €38.9m.

Over the past few months, the participating ports have also been opening their doors to demonstrate the initiatives developed. The Port of Valencia and the Port Barcelona will host their Open Days this month, as will the Port of Livorno in Italy. The Ports of Piraeus, Salerno and Koper have already organised their open days.

The MOS4MOS project aims to contribute to the establishment of a European maritime space without barriers, to facilitate and simplify the compliance with regulations (Customs, safety and other national and European rules), to promote intermodal sustainable transport solutions that reinforce the EU Motorways of the Sea (MoS) strategy, and to take full advantage of existing SSS services and facilities.

The MOS4MOS action is a TEN-T Action, managed by the TEN-T Executive Agency, set to run for 14 months. It was launched on 21 March 2011, and is scheduled to be completed in May 2012.