Message from the Chairman

On behalf of Cargo Edições Lda, I am honoured to invite the International Research Community, the Industry, International Organizations and Governments to the International Research Conference on Short Sea Shipping to be held in April 2012, in Portugal. The focus on short sea shipping (formerly known as international cabotage, international coastal trade or international coastal shipping), and often defined as the movement of freight by sea without crossing an ocean, i.e. within the same continent, rests upon its importance and attention given at a policy level for the last twenty years.

After the European Commission released its Communication on the Common Transport Policy in December 1992, the subject under consideration has promoted much debate, to the extent that other regions of the world such as the United States/Canada, Australia, Asia, New Zealand are considering it at a policy level as well. In 2008, at an European level, short sea shipping accounted for 36,6% of all intra-European freight and according to the 1992 Commission Communication there is a potential market share of 14% that short sea shipping can grasp from long distance road transport.

As a result, numerous research projects have been funded at regional and national levels to find out solutions that promote this ‘mode of transport’ as a viable alternative to road transport and that contribute to its integration within multimodal/intermodal transport chains. Within this context, numerous meetings, workshops and conferences of a regional character have been organised to discuss and disseminate information and research work.

Against this geographical scope, the present Conference aims at covering the whole world so as to become an international forum / research platform for the exchange of research  information and knowledge among those interested in this ‘mode of transport’ / research area and related issues. This provides a unique opportunity to see how our neighbouring countries and regions are approaching this ‘mode of transport’ and what lessons can be learnt. Moreover, an international Conference as it is proposed is a valuable event for young researchers, students and newcomers to the industry since it provides the opportunity to interact with more senior and experienced researchers and practitioners.

As such, the international character of the Conference has fostered its theme to be “Five continents – different perspectives – one objective: to move cargo by sea”. While filling the existing gap from a geographical perspective, it builds upon the body of knowledge and research carried out so far and presented in the regional meetings, at encouraging ongoing international information exchange, at strengthening the regional network, at building knowledge upon difference of opinion and experience, and fostering exchange of expertise and learning through active participation of community representatives, academia, governments, private research agencies and national research centres. Numerous topics have been identified to meet this objective and any gap left is more than welcomed to be addressed and the outcome of this work will be published in the Conference Proceedings.

The Conference scientific program will follow the traditional layout of other research related conferences and details about the Conference deadlines can be seen here. Apart from the working sessions, there will always be opportunity for people to get together, to exploit networking opportunities, and eventually, to relax before a new working period starts again. We believe that the Conference comes up as a unique opportunity and we welcome the International Research Community, the Industry, International Organizations and Governments to discuss and suggest solutions that contribute to a better performing competitiveness environmentally friendly sector vis-à-vis road transport.

Bem-vindo a Lisboa, Portugal.
Welcome to Lisbon, Portugal

Ana Cristina Paixão Casaca
Conference Chair
Operational Director of ESPRIM

It is with great pleasure that Cargo Edições organizes the 2012 International Research Conference on Short Sea Shipping, in Lisbon, Portugal, and in this regard I take this opportunity to thank the numerous people working with us to organize such an important event.

In the name of the organization of this shipping and port international conference to be held in Portugal, let me say that we are proud that our humble contribution will foster the development of the shipping and port sectors at a local, regional and international levels. 

We welcome all delegates belonging to International Research Community, the Industry, International Organizations and Governments to the 2012 International Research Conference on Short Sea Shipping, and we are at your disposal to assist you with any information that you may need for you to come to this conference and during your stay in Portugal.

Your feedback will also be very important so that we can improve our performance, today or, if possible, in a future conference. We wish that your stay is so good that you will always feel the need to come back to this country, which in previous times gave an enormous contribute to the development of the world.

We are sure that the programme to be offered will meet your expectations and the continuous success of previous conferences. The conference provides an excellent opportunity for experts from the International Research Community, the Industry, International Organizations and Governments to meet and exchange ideas and promises to be exciting and stimulating due to the wide range of topics of direct interest and relevance to the industry as presented in the Call for Papers Invitation.

The Local Organisation Commiteee has been working hard in order to gather in Lisbon high standard Speakers and we trust your visit to this Conference proves worthwhile and rewarding; its success clearly indicates that we work in an exciting, useful, and extremely active area.

We wish you all a pleasant and memorable conference experience.

Bem-vindo a Lisboa, Portugal
Welcome to Lisbon, Portugal

Luís Filipe Duarte
Managing Director
Cargo Edições
Email: fduarte@cargoedicoes.pt

Cargo Edições, has been established in the market for 20 years, and is a specialised publisher in transport and logistics publications; it publishes the magazines ‘Cargo, Transportes e Logística’, ‘Frota’, and the Newsletters on-line Cargo News online and Frota.News, as well as the Anuário dos Portos de Portugal (Annual Ports Directory). The Cargo, Transportes & Logística magazine focuses on all subjects related to the movement of cargo and modes of transport, addressing issues concerning operators, carriers, shipping agents, stevedoring companies, rail and air companies, freight forwarders and other players that somehow have a link to the activity. It is the leading magazine of the transport sector in Portugal, namely of the shipping one. It is published monthly, and is supplemented by the Newsletter Cargo News online that delivers freshly news to its readers; the latter is distributed three times per week. The Frota magazine, is publishedbimonthly together with Cargo, Transportes & Logística, to supplement information related to the transport of goods by road. Frota magazine is also supplemented by a weekly Newsletter online sent by email, the Frota.news. Cargo Edições has also been involved in publishing some books related to the transport and logistics sector, which can be seen on their Internet Web site (http://www.cargoedicoes.pt) and in organizing national and international workshops and conferences related to the sector such as the 18th International Port Training Conference and the Annual Conference of the International Association of Maritime Economists, in 2005 and 2010, respectively.

Ana Cristina Paixão Casaca obtained her elementary nautical studies degree at Escola Náutica Infante D. Henrique (ENIDH) in Paço D’Arcos, Portugal. She was a deck officer in Portuguese shipping companies and lectured at the Instituto de Tecnologias Náuticas. After getting her Bachelor degree in 1995, she got her M.Sc. Degree in International Logistics at the Institute of Marine Studies belonging to the University of Plymouth in 1997. Her will to carry out research work led her to proceed with her Ph.D. in International Transport/Logistics at the University of Wales-Cardiff, which successfully finalized in 2003. Since 1998, she has been publishing articles in professional magazines, namely Cargo, Transportes e Logística and research papers in well known international Academic Journals (Maritime Policy and Management, Maritime Economics and Logistics, Marine Policy, International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications, Journal of International Logistics and Trade, International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, and the International Journal of Transport Management). She is a member of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS) and of the International Maritime Economists Association (IAME). Presently, she is the Operational Director of ESPRIM - Centro de Acostagens, Amarrações e Serviços Marítimos, Lda. Additionally, she is involved in other activities where she uses her expertise. Since 2003, she has been invited by the European Commission to review transport related projects and to evaluate transport related proposals. She is a Guest Lecturer of the Netherlands Maritime University, and Coacher of the Copenhagen Business School Blue MBA in Shipping and Logistics. She was the Chairman and Co-Organiser of the 2010 IAME Annual Conference that was held in Lisbon, Portugal, a work which she drew on the expertise gained from her shipping and academic backgrounds and whose passion for research is now drawing her into this new venture as Chairman and Co-Organiser of the International Research Conference on Short Sea Shipping.