Western Europe Sea Transport and Motorways of the Sea

WEST-MOS project activities

The project was subdivided into different work packages as follows:

1. Work Package 1 - French-Spanish motorways of the sea

   The objective of this Work Package was to provide project manager assistance to Member States in order to ensure the selection of the best Motorways of the sea project(s), with the intention to submit the selected project(s) in a subsequent stage to the European Commission. This study will be an important pledge of credibility and seriousness in unfolding of the procedure and the final choice.

   The WP was organised into three activities in order to cover all issues of tendering:

   1. Activity 1.1. Technical assistance (mainly technical choices related to the maritime services, logistics, infrastructural or demand-related issues)
   2. Activity 1.2. Legal assistance (mainly accordance of the procedure to the EC, French and Spanish legal framework and legal scheme of tenders)
   3. Activity 1.3. Financial assistance (economic and financial issues related to economic balance of projects, analysis of costs and business plans).

   Activities 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 together provided an assistance throughout the procedure and included the drafting of tender documents (MoS specifications, call for proposals), the provision of expertise during the phase of exchanges between the States and the tenders, a detailed report on the comparative analysis of the project proposals from a technical, financial and legal point of view, the drafting of contracts and the provision of expertise during the phases of negotiation and finalization of the conventions.

   The tender documents included requirements on technological choices, quality of infrastructure, access and services, demand-related and capacity related criteria and the requirements for information and analysis included in the tenders.

2. Work package 2 - WEST-MOS Studies

   Work Package 2 is composed of three more detailed studies that prepare the ground for the consolidated report in Work Package 3.

   1. Activity 2.1 Market study. Analysis of main production/consumption areas and the main supply chains, analysis of cargo flows between certain regions in the current situation and prediction of cargo flows for various scenarios for the designation of the Motorways of the Sea. Identification of key factors for different groups of transport demand that affect the choice of transport options. Definition of main requirements for land-maritime services in terms of costs and quality of services (delivery times, frequency of departure, reliability…) and for quality of infrastructure in ports and hinterland. The market study focued on the transport between Spain and two MOS areas (Motorways of the Sea of Western Europe and Motorways of the Sea of South-West Europe (western Mediterranean) and took into account available information from these MOS areas.
   2. Activity 2.2 Technical studies. Studies of solutions and requirements on freight management systems, vessel and cargo traffic monitoring systems, safety and environmental requirements and inland infrastructure to be taken into account in the definition of the basis for the Master Plans for the Western Europe and South-Western Europe Motorways of the Sea corridors
   3. Activity 2.3 Practical studies. Market studies and cost-benefit analyses at micro level at least eleven specific potential maritime links between possible candidate Motorways of the Sea ports.

3. Work package 3. Basis for a Master Plan

   Work Package was the basis for the preparation of the Master plans for the Motorways of the sea in the Western Europe and South-West Europe corridors of the Motorways of the sea. It consisted of two activities, one extracting from the more detailed analysis the general conclusions for the preparation and implementation of the Motorways of the sea and one to ensure that all relevant stakeholders adhere to the results of the project.

   1. Activity 3.1. Coherence and integration of results. Establishment of a state of the art analysis, preparation of guidelines on methodologies, reporting, and exchange of information aiming at a seamless integration of the various Work Packages of this study into an overall coherent consolidated report providing a basis for developing master plans for the Western Europe and South-Western Europe corridors of the Motorways of the sea.
   2. Activity 3.2. Coordination, dissemination and exchange of information. Establishment of a task force for the two Motorways of the sea corridors to which this project contributed, that involves the key partners concerned and that is representative for all the Member States with an interest in these two corridors, in order to ensure a good exchange of information and co-ordination of related activities.

   Organisation of regular meetings of this task force.

   Establishment of a web site and other dissemination actions.