The establishment of a system of subsidies for transporters who choose to raise the trucks to the freeways of the sea rather than to transit by road, the so-called ecobono, seems to convince all the actors involved in Short Sea Shipping.

In the Ministry of Public Works they have been working together for several yearswith Portugal, Italy and France on the Med-Atlantic ecobonus project , which aims to arbitrate this subsidy system . The conclusions of the study carried out for this purpose could be presented at a Conference organized by SPC-Spain in Santander in October.

As explained on Thursday July 6, the president of SPC-Spain, Manuel Carlier, during a conference organized by the association for the promotion of TMCD in the headquarters of CETM, the project of these countries is part of the “smart” ecobono that Italy Implemented in its territory, which allowed the SSS to grow in the country even in the worst years of the economic crisis.

Carlier recognizes that, for hauliers and porters, SSS is a “more complex” modelthan the traditional road option. Therefore, “at least” , the user has to offer “the same transits and better conditions“.

It is at this point that the aid to the transporters can facilitate the transfer of the trucks of the roads to the sea. Those who argue that public money is earmarked for ecobono argue that the TCDF reduces the external costs of transport , including pollution and congestion on the roads, and this favors the economy of the country as a whole.

 

The plans of Spain

 

The president of SPC-Spain has pointed out some details of the plan of Encouragement around the ecobono , indicated in turn by Secretary General of Transport, Carmen Librero, in the last General Assembly of Anave.
The Government wants to develop a system of aid that favors those lines that , for some reason, can prove that they have a better environmental performance. Thus, they would “score” aspects such as the consumption of LNG as fuel or the incorporation of scrubbers.
“It seems that the philosophy will be to modulate the percentage of aid in function of the environmental quality of the ships ” , explained Carlier.

 
Shipping companies support it

 

The support of the maritime sector to this measure is not something new and since the association for more than a decade requesting aid to the demand for the TMCD in the Mediterranean facade.
For Carlier, “where there are not very few lines it may make sense, at first, direct aid to a shipping company to implant a line. But to the extent that enough established lines, helping one and not another can cause a distortion of competition. ”
“It is preferable, therefore, to grant aid to carriers or logistic operators to get on the ship and that they choose which lines are best suited to them , ” said the president of SPC-Spain.

 
Allows circumventing unilateral measures

 

As far as carriers are concerned, it is clear that any subsidy will be received with open arms by a sector characterized by very tight margins, especially when the DTC is becoming an important ally of Spanish carriers.
CETM President Ovidio de la Roza and EU Confederation Relations Director José María Quijano agreed on Thursday that the protectionist measures implemented by some member states are motivating the transfer of the Roads to the sea.
The Eurovignette, minimum wages and the prohibition of rest are established as reasons of weight to get on the boats. Meanwhile, factors that can mark the return to the road , such as the drop in diesel, ” are losing importance in favor of other competitive advantages offered by the TMCD,” said Quijano.
According to the ‘Med-Atlantic ecobonus’ project, the viability of the eco-bonus goes through European subsidies, so the European Commission will have the final say on its implementation.

Source: Cadena de Suministro

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