Lightening The Load - Marco Polo Leads The Way
Lightening The Load - Marco Polo Leads The Way
Lightening The Load - Marco Polo Leads The Way
CONTENTS
Efficient transport is the lifeblood of the European The projects described in the following pages
economy. We take fast and cheap delivery from come from all regions of Europe. New rail and
factory to consumer across Europe for granted. inland waterway projects criss-cross the EU
Road is often the preferred transport mode, from north to south and east to west. Motorways
but rising road traffic volumes mean more of the sea provide a way round natural land
congestion, more pollution and higher costs. barriers and congested road corridors, offering
capacity along Europe’s Atlantic, Mediterranean
The Marco Polo programme of the European
and Baltic seaboards.
Union tackles these issues head-on. It helps
reduce traffic congestion on Europe’s crowded
roads and promotes environment-friendly MAKING THE CASE
means of transport. Its strategy is simple: shift
as much freight traffic as possible from roads Many projects recognise that even if rail, short-
to other modes of transport. While roads are sea shipping and inland waterways offer a
overused, rail, sea and inland waterways often greener alternative and can compete with trucks
have spare capacity. They also pollute less. on commercial terms, the case for switching
A Marco Polo grant can make the difference still needs to be made. The business-as-usual
between launching a modal-shift project or not. mentality among operators is hard to break.
Some forwarders accustomed to road transport
Marco Polo aims at improving the environmental fear that change might mean unnecessary risk.
performance of European freight transport, Dynamic marketing, quality service and close
by freeing the roads of an annual volume of customer care are shown to be vital tools for
20 billion tonne-kilometres1 of freight, the Marco Polo projects.
ROAD IS OFTEN equivalent of more than 700 000 trucks a year
THE PREFERRED
travelling between Paris and Berlin. This Participants also enlist ingenuity and imagina-
TRANSPORT MODE, tion to help their projects succeed. A number
BUT RISING ROAD translates into substantial environmental,
societal and economic benefits. use innovative technologies to gain a competi-
TRAFFIC VOLUMES
MEAN MORE tive edge, or enhance service quality. These
CONGESTION, include common IT management systems, GPS
USERS TELL THEIR STORIES
MORE POLLUTION for cargo track-and-trace, and new-design
AND HIGHER COSTS. containers to facilitate intermodal handling.
This brochure contains a representative
sample from the wide spectrum of Marco Some utilise big European infrastructure
Polo projects. The information comes from the projects, such as the Oeresund tunnel and
participants themselves. A manager involved bridge between Denmark and Sweden, to
in each project tells in his or her own words offer door-to-door international transport
of the benefits to be derived from Marco Polo. services. Others have turned the Sunday ban
Many highlight the difficulties, expected and on heavy trucks in several EU countries to their
1. ‘tonne-kilometre’ means
the transport of a tonne of freight, unexpected, which they encountered – and advantage by providing weekend freight
or its volumetric equivalent,
over a distance of one kilometre. generally overcame. services by rail or sea.
2
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A MARCO POLO GRANT CAN
MAKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
LAUNCHING A MODAL-SHIFT
PROJECT OR NOT
As a number of participants readily admit, qualify for grants. And when it comes to road
they take a commercial risk in launching their traffic, the cleanest journey is the one that did
projects. Even if the Marco Polo programme not take place. This is why Marco Polo actively
offers funding only in the start-up period, they promotes traffic avoidance, awarding grants
say it helps in two ways. On the one hand, it to road hauliers and manufacturers who de-
provides an EU stamp of approval for their project vise new practices (like avoiding empty runs or
and enhances their green credentials. On the using more efficient packaging) to reduce the
other hand, many of the projects described here need for road transport in the first place.
would not have got under way, or would have
had to be scaled-down, without the benefit of a S TA R T- U P F U N D I N G
Marco Polo grant.
The grants provide financial support in the
MARCO POLO IS YOUR PROGRAMME crucial start-up phase of a modal-shift project
before it pays its way to viability. Grants cover
Marco Polo is user-driven. If your company has periods of two to five years. Projects should
a project to transfer freight from road to rail or
short-sea shipping routes or inland waterways, Marco Polo is managed by the Executive Agency
you may qualify for a Marco Polo grant. Your for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI) on behalf
project has to involve a cross-border route. The of the European Commission’s Directorate-General
grant is performance-related. In some cases, for Energy and Transport.
you only get the full amount if you meet your
declared target for the amount of freight shifted be commercially viable once the period of the
from the road to greener transport modes. Marco Polo funding is over. Successful par- €60 MILLION
ticipation in a Marco Polo project enhances a IN GRANTS AVAILABLE
You do not have to shift all your traffic off the PER YEAR UNTIL 2013
company’s green credentials. So far more than
road. Inter-modal projects, combining road,
400 companies have benefited from funding.
rail and waterborne transport, are eligible. The
concept of transport as a door-to-door service The current programme runs until 2013, with an
is important. Feeder traffic and final distribu- annual budget for grants of about €60 million.
tion can be handled by road, but road journeys It publishes calls for proposal from potential
should be kept as short as possible. grant applicants at the beginning of each year
on its website (http://ec.europa.eu/marcopolo).
In addition to direct modal-shift projects, Marco
Bidders who feel they meet the conditions can
Polo also funds projects that provide supporting
apply for a grant.
services, including management systems, inte-
grated cargo control or common IT platforms Responding to its users, Marco Polo has already
to facilitate inter-operability between partners simplified procedures and lowered thresholds
and between modes. Training projects relat- for obtaining a grant. These are part of an ongo-
ed to inter-modal transport and logistics also ing series of market-linked enhancements.
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KINGDOM
C E LT I C S E A
L
Cardiff
Amsterdam
T London
NEDERLAND
Calais BELGIË
A
CHANNEL Bruxelles
LISH
ENG Lille Brussel Düsseldo
BELGIQUE
Namur
Amiens
Rouen
Caen Wiesbad
LUXEMBOURG
Paris Châlons-en-Champagne
Rennes Metz Saarbrü
Orléans Strasbourg
Nantes
B A Y
Dijon
poitier
FRANCE Bessançon
Modal shift
O F Bern
Limoges SUIS
B I S C A Y Clermont-Ferrand Lyon
Santiago de Compostela Bordeaux
Aosta-Aost
Oviedo
Santander
Torino Ca
Bilbao
San Sebastián
Vitoria-Gasteiz Toulouse
rto Pamplona-Iruña Montpellier
Logroño Monaco
Valladolid
Marseille
Coimbra
ANDORRA GULF
Zaragora OF LIONS
TUGAL ESPAÑA
Madrid COR
Barcelona
Ajaccio
Toledo
Mérida
Valencia
Palma de Mallorca
T H E H A R D E S T PA R T
SARDEG
Sevilla ISLAS BALEARES
Murcia
Cagliari
IS TO CONVINCE CLIENTS
G I B R A LTA R Almería M E D I T E
Tanger
C E U TA
R
Reefer Express
new route
old route
4
PAGE
AK
RR
C
E
SKAG
Edinburgh
N O R T H
I
Belfast
S E A
T
IRELAND DANMARK
Københa
Dublin
N
ÉIRE Baile Átha Cliath
UNIT ED
A
Kiel
K INGDOM
C E LT I C S E A Hamburg Schw
L
Cardiff Bremen
Amsterdam
T
London
NEDERLAND Hannover
Potsd
Magdeburg
Calais BELGIË
A
CHANNEL Bruxelles DEUTSC HLAND
LISH
ENG Lille Brussel Düsseldorf
BELGIQUE Erfurt
Namur D
Amiens
Modal shift
Rouen
Caen Wiesbaden Frankfurt a. M.
LU X E M B OU RG Mainz
Worms
Paris Châlons-en-Champagne
Rennes Metz Saarbrücken
Stuttgart
Orléans Strasbourg
Nantes
B A Y München
Dijon
poitier
F R A N C E Bessançon Bregenz
O F Bern
Worgl
Innsbruck
Limoges SUISSE
B I S C A Y Clermont-Ferrand
K
Lyon
Santiago de Compostela Bordeaux
Aosta-Aoste Trento
Oviedo
Milano Tri
Santander
Torino Casale Padova Venezi
Bilbao
San Sebastián
W I N D P O W E R TA K E S Faro
Sevilla
Murcia
Valencia
Palma de Mallorca
I SLA S B A LE A RE S
S A R D E G NA
T Y R R H E N
THE TRAIN
Cagliari
G I B R A LTA R Almería M E D I T E S E A
Tanger
C E U TA
R
R Pal
E N E R C O N Tr i - M o d a l
new route
old route
Marco Polo can make things happen. As a high-technology company in the field
That at least is the experience of German of renewable energy, ENERCON feels P r o j e c t n a m e:
wind turbine manufacturer, ENERCON. it is natural that it should take a lead in E N E R C O N Tr i - M o d a l
“As soon as it was announced that we promoting sustainable transport, but the S i ze o f M a r c o P o l o gr ant:
had received Marco Polo funding, this project is also being driven by practicali- €1 268 577
had a positive effect on our partners,” ties. “We, like others,” Vogt notes, “are
D u r a t i o n o f p r o j e c t gr ant:
says Ursula Vogt, Assistant to ENERCON’s encountering increasing resistance from
J u l y 2009 t o J u n e 2012
Managing Director. “In Portugal, for local, regional and national authorities to
Le a d p a r t n e r:
example, the local government began moving exceptional loads by road. This
E N E R C O N , A u r i c h ( G er m any)
pushing the construction of a new railway translates into extended lead times and
line to our Portuguese production site. increased administrative costs.” O t h e r p a r t n e r:
Other partners and governments are also E N E O P 3 D e se n vo l v i m ento
more aware of our activities, and there However, ENERCON is confident that d e P r o j e c t o I n d u st r ial ( P or tugal )
has been positive feedback from all sides its modal shift is justified on its merits. Vo l u m e o f g o o d s sh i f t ed off the r oad:
to our objective of shifting freight from “European energy policy and the cur- 663m m t o n n e - ki l o met r es
road to rail and ship.” rent discussion of escape routes from the ( t h r e e - ye a r e st i m a t e )
latest climate change scenarios can only E st i m a t e d e n vi r o n m ent al benefit :
The project involves using rail and ship increase the trend toward more modal 13. 6m ( o ve r t h r e e year s)
to move components and parts from shift, so we are confident of long-term C o n t a c t:
Germany to Viana do Castelo in Portugal, economic benefits,” Vogt concludes. u r su l a . vo g t @ E N E R C O N. de
as well as to installation
sites throughout Europe. “European energy policy and the current
Smaller parts go in con-
discussion of escape routes from the latest
tainers. The novelty is
that ENERCON is using climate change scenarios can only increase
rail for over-size ship- the trend toward more modal shift, so we are
ments, i.e. rotor blades, confident of long-term economic benefits”
the electrical equipment
modules and tower sec- U R S U L A V O G T ,
tions of wind turbines. A S S I S T A N T T O T H E M A N A G I N G D I R E C T O R
“Some people have O F E N E R C O N
had reservations about
using rail for this, but participating in
Marco Polo means it is taken more seri-
ously. It adds prestige to our plans and
helps us convince our partners to coop-
erate with us.”
5
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AK
RR
S
E
SKAG Göteborg Jönköping
Visby
I C
Ventspils
N O R T H
Växjö Rīga
L AT V I JA
L T
Halmstd Kalmar
S E A
DANMA R K Karlskrona
A
Telšiai Šiauliai
Panevėžys
B
København Klaipėda
Malmö Utena
L I E T U VA
Tauragė
Kaunas
R OS S I JS K A Vilnius
Marijampolė
Kiel F E D E R AC I J Alytus
Rostock Gdańsk Minsk
NEDERLAND Hannover
Potsdam
Berlin
Poznań
Magdeburg warszawa
POLS K A
BELGIË Zielona Góra
Bruxelles DE UTSCH L A N D Łódż
Lille Brussel Düsseldorf
Lublin
BELGIQ UE Erfurt
Namur Dresden Wrocław
Amiens Kielce
Opole
Wiesbaden Frankfurt a. M.
LU XE MB O UR G Mainz Katowice
Modal shift
Worms Praha Kraków Rzeszów
Châlons-en-Champagne
Metz Saarbrücken Č E SK Á R E PU B L I K A U K R
ns Stuttgart
Strasbourg
SLOV E NS K Á
R E PUB L I K A
München Linz Sankt Pölten Wien
Dijon Bratislava
Salzburg Eisenstadt
C E Bessançon Bregenz
Worgl Ö S T E R R E I C H
Bern Innsbruck Budapest
SUIS SE Graz MAG YA ROR S ZÁG
Klagenfurt
rrand Lyon
Aosta-Aoste Trento SLO VE N I J A R OMÂ NI A
Ljubjana
Milano Trieste Zagreb
Torino Casale Padova Venezia H R VATSK A
ULF Ancona
D
LIONS Perugia
R
A
I
I TA L I A Sofija B Â LG A R I JA
COR S E
L’Aquilla
T
Ajaccio I
Roma C Skopje
Campobasso
S
E
A Tiranë Komotini
Cagliari
T Y R R H E N I A N Kerkyra Ioannina Larisa A E G E A N
Mytulini
Ε ΛΛΑ ΔΑ - Ε L L Α DA
DEMANDING
Catanzaro
I T E S E A Lamia S E A
R
R Palermo Patrai
Αθήναι
Athinai
Via Danube
new route
old route
“We are successfully managing a riv- ing. A big advantage of our service is
Project name : er-borne freight service that is trusted its regularity. This way, our clients are
Vi a D anube by our clients and is seen as a quality always sure of an exact departure date
Si ze of Marco P olo gra n t:
alternative to road transport throughout and a very good estimate of when the
€1 0 3 3 6 5 5
Europe”. This is how Dimitar Ivanov, who cargo will arrive at its destination.”
manages the project at Intershipping of
D uration of project gr a n t: “But a regular service means fixed costs,
Bulgaria, described Via Danube after its
June 2 0 0 8 to May 2011
first year of operation. The project aims to requiring vessels to sail fully-laden. This
Le ad partner : has been a challenge for us, particularly
upgrade the Danube as a freight corridor
I nters hipping Ltd, Burg a s (Bu lg a r ia ) as a result of the global economic down-
through the heart of Europe, stretching
O t her partner : from northern France via
I nters hipping Romani a SRL ( Ro ma n ia ) Germany to the Black “We are successfully managing a river-borne
Volume of goods shifte d of f t h e r o a d: Sea. It seeks to make
freight service that is trusted by our clients
51 8 m tonne-kilometres current road routes from
( t hree -y ear estimate) Maubeuge (France) and and is seen as a quality alternative to road
Es timated environmenta l b e n e f i t: Waghäusel (Germany) transport throughout Europe”
€1 3 .4 m (ov er three yea rs) to Bulgaria and Romania
Contact : into inter-modal ones via D I M I T A R I V A N O V ,
the Danube. INTERSHIPPING OF BULGARIA
di v anov @intershipping -b g .c o m
Freight travels by road from Maubeuge turn since 2008 and the associated fall in
and Waghäusel to Passau in Bavaria and consumer demand.” Ivanov concludes:
is transferred to river barges bound for “We coped with this and many other
Vidin in Bulgaria where it is offloaded to problems; we came out on top. And we
continue by road to Sofia and Bucharest. set guidelines for the successful manage-
For some return journeys the departure ment of the project for the following two
port has been changed to Russe which years.”
is more convenient for the Romanian car
plants which have started using the Via
Danube service, explains Ivanov.
6
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Common learning
L E S S PA P E R W O R K
= LESS COST
Short Sea XML
Arild Haraldsen, CEO of the NorStella Foun- cally along the short-sea logistics chain
dation, explains the benefits of improved in a single, shared format. Kristiansand P r o j e c t n a m e:
data exchange for short-sea shipping. in Norway was the first European port to Short Sea XML
implement Short Sea XML. S i ze o f M a r c o P o l o gr ant:
X M L S TA N D S F O R E X T E N S I B L E
€900 000
MARKUP LANGUAGE IN COMPUTER … AND THE BENEFITS?
P R O G R A M M I N G . W H AT I S T H E L I N K D u r a t i o n o f p r o j e c t gr ant:
W I T H S H O R T- S E A S H I P P I N G ? The benefits to us were that the project S e p t e m b e r 2006 t o S ept em ber 2008
7
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Rovaniemi
Luleå
Oulu
Uleåborg
SVER I GE
Umeå SUOM I
Härnösand
Sundsvall
Mikk
Sýt M
Hämeenlinna
Travastehus
Falun Gävle
Turku
Åbo Helsinki
Maarianhamina Helsingfors
Uppsala Mariehamn
Örebro
Västerås
Stockholm
Tallinn
M O R E F E R R Y S PA C E
FOR BIGGER TRUCKS
E A
Nyköping E E STI
inköping
CGTK
new route
old route
This project provides a full freight serv- Among the problems encountered during
Project name : ice over the shortest sea crossing be- the project, Lassfolk lists a paper work-
CG TK – C onsolidation o f Go o d s tween Finland and Sweden from Vaasa ers’ strike which reduced cargo volumes,
Trans port over the K va rke n St r a it s to Umea. Before the service started in and rising fuel prices.
Si ze of Marco P olo gra n t:
2004, large trucks travelling between the
two countries often took the overland Lassfolk says the paperwork and report-
€6 0 0 0 0 0
route round the northern end of the Gulf ing requirements involved in projects
D uration of project gr a n t:
of Bothnia. This involved a distance of like his can on occasion be detailed and
Janua ry 2 004 to Dece mb e r 2 0 0 6
820 kilometres, compared with 90 kilome- time-consuming. But he adds: “The policy
Le ad partner : and objectives behind the Marco Polo
tres and a crossing time of four hours for
RG L ine, Vaasa (Finland ) programme are very good”.
the Kvarken Straits sea link.
O t her partner :
U m ea H amn Ab (Swede n ) One of the main problems was that the
Volum e of goods shifte d o ff t h e r o a d: vessels serving the link were too small.
33 0 m tonne-kilometres “The Marco Polo grant made it possible
( t hree -y ear estimate) for us to buy the ship we needed to han-
Es timated environmenta l be n e f i t: dle more and bigger trucks,” says RG Line
€7 .3 m (ov er three yea rs) CEO Börje Lassfolk, “Without the grant we
Contact :
would have had to buy a smaller vessel.”
borj e.las s [email protected] o m
“The Marco Polo grant made it possible for us to buy
the ship we needed to handle more and bigger trucks”
BÖRJE LASSFOLK,
CEO RG LINE
8
PAGE
Kiel
Rostock
Hamburg Schwerin
Bremen
Szczecin
Amsterdam
London
NEDERLAND Hannover
Potsdam
Berlin
Poz
Magdeburg
Calais B ELG I Ë Zielo
Bruxelles D EU TSCH L AND
Lille Brussel Düsseldorf
B ELG I Q U E Erfurt
Namur Dresden Wro
Amiens
Modal shift
Rouen
Wiesbaden Frankfurt a. M.
LUXEMBOURG Mainz
Worms Praha
Paris Châlons-en-Champagne
Metz Saarbrücken ČESK Á R EP U
Orléans Stuttgart
Strasbourg
Klagenfurt
Clermont-Ferrand Lyon
Aosta-Aoste Trento SLO V ENIJA
Ljubjana
Milano Trieste Zag
Torino Casale Padova H R V
B O T T L E D W AT E R
Venezia
e Genova
Bologna
Montpellier
BY THE TRAINLOAD
Monaco
H E
Marseille Firenze
A
GULF Ancona
D
Sirius 1
new route
old route
Rail is particularly suited for handing water to Germany via Hockenheim and a
single products that are transported in second distribution centre in Duisburg for P r o j e c t n a m e:
large quantities like bottled water. With the north of the country.” Sirius 1
the Sirius 1 project, the French mineral S i ze o f M a r c o P o l o gr ant:
water company, SA des Eaux Minérales “The switch to rail during Sirius 1 has
€560 000
d’Evian, is switching to rail for the trans- not affected our ability to maintain a high
service level concerning punctuality and D u r a t i o n o f p r o j e c t gr ant:
port of water from its Volvic spring in
J a n u a r y 2008 t o D e c em ber 2010
central France to its German distribution content of shipment. In this process,
Marco Polo has acted as a catalyst for Le a d p a r t n e r:
centre at Hockenheim, near Frankfurt – a
our own team and those of our partners. S A d e s E a u x M i n é r a l es d’ Evi an
distance of 711 kilometres. From there, it is
Despite the complexity of implement- ( Fr a n c e )
distributed to final customers in Germany
by road. Trains return from Hockenheim ing the new network and a commercial O t h e r p a r t n e r:
with empty crates. Previously the whole context which still favours road over rail, D a n o n e Wa t e r s D e u t schl and Gm bH
journey in both directions was by road. rail transport remains at the heart of the ( G e r m a n y)
sustainable development strategy of Vo l u m e o f g o o d s sh i f t ed off the r oad:
The modal shift means that 70% of the Evian and Volvic”, says Dumas. 341m t o n n e - ki l o m e t r es
average distance from Volvic to final des- ( t h r e e - ye a r e st i m a t e )
tinations in Germany is now covered by E st i m a t e d e n vi r o n m ent al benefit :
rail. The company says that in a full year €6. 9m ( o ve r t h r e e year s)
of operation, the switch is the equiva- C o n t a c t:
lent of taking 10 000 trucks off the road. j e a n - m a r c . d u m a s@ danone. com
The energy saved is enough to provide
lighting for a city of 320 000 people.
9
PAGE
Cardiff Brem
Amsterdam
T
London
NEDERLAND Hannover
Calais B E LG I Ë
A
CHANNEL Bruxelles D E U TS
LISH
ENG Lille Brussel Düsseldorf
B E LG I Q U E
Namur
Amiens
Rouen
Caen Wiesbaden Frankfurt
LU XE M B O U RG Mainz
Worms
Paris Châlons-en-Champagne
Rennes Metz Saarbrücken
Orléans Stuttga
Strasbourg
Nantes
B A Y
Dijon
poitier
F R A N C E Bessançon Brege
O F Bern
Limoges S U I S S E
B I S C A Y Clermont-Ferrand Lyon
Santiago de Compostela Bordeaux
Aosta-Aoste
Oviedo
Santander
Bilbao
San Sebastián
Torino Casale
Milano
Modal shift
Vitoria-Gasteiz Toulouse Genova
orto Pamplona-Iruña Montpellier
Logroño Monaco
Valladolid
Marseille Firenz
Coimbra
ANDORRA GULF
Zaragora OF LIONS
T UG AL ESPA ÑA
Madrid CO RSE
Barcelona
Ajaccio
Toledo
a Mérida
Valencia
Palma de Mallorca
SARDEGNA
Sevilla I S L A S B AL E ARE S
Murcia
Cagliari
T Y R
G I B R A LTA R Almería M E D I T E
Tanger
C E U TA
R
R
B R I N G I N G TA N G I E R S C L O S E R
Alger
A
Tunis
E L MAG H R EB E L D JA Z ÂIR TO U N I S
Marocco Seaways
new route
old route
Before Italian shipping line, Grandi Navi Mediterranean rather than going straight
Project name : Veloci (GNV), launched its Ro/Pax serv- to Morocco and back. “This was really
M aro cco S eaways ice from Genoa to Tangiers in Morocco beyond our control,” Fabrizio points out,
Si ze of Marco P olo gra n t:
via Barcelona, the goods it now carries “as we had made all the necessary ap-
€1 8 3 0 4 1 8
by sea took a longer overland route. From plications and enlisted the support of the
Italy, they went by road to Algeciras at Italian and Spanish authorities, but it took
D uration of project gr a n t:
the southern tip of Spain before crossing much longer than we felt it needed to.”
D ece mber 2006 to Dec e mb er 2 0 0 9
the Mediterranean.
Le ad partner :
G rand i Navi Veloci s.p.a ., Ge n o a ( I t a ly ) “The new route was “The availability of Marco Polo funding
O t her partner s: the result of analysing
made a critical difference to the initial
A gen cia Maritima Cond e min a s ( Sp a in ) , the commercial traffic
F. A .I. S erv ice S .C (Ita ly) between Italy and economics of the project”
Volum e of goods shifte d o ff t h e r o a d: Morocco, and between
92 1 m tonne-kilometres Spain and Morocco, and F R A N C O F A B R I Z I O ,
GNV
( t hree -y ear estimate) of surveying operators,”
Es timated environmenta l be n e f i t: says Franco Fabrizio of
€2 8 .8 m (ov er three yea rs) GNV. “This revealed a clear opening for As with any new product, it also took
Contact :
a cheaper and faster alternative.” time to convince customers that there is
f ranc o.fabriz [email protected]
a cheaper and better alternative to the
The service carries goods from the hinter- way they are used to doing things – even
land of both European ports – stretching though they might be saving as much as
as far as the Milan region in the case of It- 50% of their costs. “So, the availability
aly. These are generally consumer goods, of Marco Polo funding made a critical
but there is also machinery. “And we car- difference to the initial economics of the
ry raw materials for factories in Morocco, project,” says Fabrizio. “However, by
which then ship the finished goods back May 2009 we had exceeded expectations
by the same route,” adds Fabrizio. and added a second vessel on the route
earlier than we had originally planned.”
The project got off to a difficult start. GNV
had hoped to launch the service in Sep-
tember 2006, but had underestimated the
difficulties of getting the necessary per-
mits from the Moroccan authorities. It is
unusual for such trips to call at an addi-
tional port in Europe before crossing the
10
PAGE
A
RR
S
E
SKAG Göteborg Jönköping
Visby
C
Ventspils
N O R T H
T I
Växjö Rīga
L
Halmstd Kalmar
S E A
A L
DA NMA RK Karlskrona
Šiauliai
Telšiai
Pa
B
København Klaipėda
Malmö
LIE T UVA
Tauragė
Kaun
R OS S IJS K A
Marijampo
Kiel F E D E R AC I J Aly
Rostock Gdańsk
NEDERLAND Hannover
Potsdam
Berlin
Poznań
Magdeburg warszawa
POLS K A
BELGI Ë Zielona Góra
Stuttgart
Strasbourg
S LOVE N S K Á
R E PUB LIK A
München Linz Sankt Pölten Wien
Bratislava
Dijon
Salzburg Eisenstadt
Bessançon Bregenz
Worgl ÖS T E R R E ICH
Bern Innsbruck Budapest
SU I SSE Graz MAGYAR OR S ZÁG
Klagenfurt
Lyon
Aosta-Aoste Trento S LO V E N IJA
Ljubjana
Milano Trieste Zagreb
Torino Casale Padova Venezia H R VATS K A
B OS N A I
A
F Ancona
D
INDISPENSABLE
ONS Perugia
R
A
I
I TALI A Sofija
COR S E
L’Aquilla
T
Ajaccio I
T- R E X
new route
old route
When times are hard, a Marco Polo grant Not everything has gone according to
can make all the difference. T-REX (Trans- plan. IFB had hoped to be operating four P r o j e c t n a m e:
Romanian Express) rail freight services round trips a week by September 2008, T- R E X
between Belgium and Romania are an but stopped at three “when the global S i ze o f M a r c o P o l o gr ant:
example. “Without the Marco Polo pro- economic crisis put a – hopefully tem- €1 250 000
gramme, we would probably have started porary – stop to our ambitions for this
D u r a t i o n o f p r o j e c t gr ant:
the service, but with limited scope – one route and for building a much broader
S e p t e m b e r 2006 t o S ept em ber 2009
round trip reserved for one customer at intermodal network linking the Benelux
Le a d p a r t n e r:
an agreed price, and with a risk of stop- and Romania.”
I FB sa / n v, B r u sse l s ( B el gi um )
ping if competitive conditions changed
drastically,” says Tony Struyf, Interna- IFB admits it underestimated the competi- O t h e r p a r t n e r:
tional Business Development Manager tive responses from road freight opera- I n t e r c o n t a i n e r A u st r i a G esm bH
at IFB in Belgium. “With Marco Polo, tors, so “we actually only reached 84% ( A u st r i a )
we can offer a regular service not just of our modal shift volume targets in the Vo l u m e o f g o o d s sh i f t ed off the r oad:
to our main customer on 642m t o n n e - ki l o m e t r es
the route, but also to the “With Marco Polo, we can offer ( t h r e e - ye a r e st i m a t e )
market as a whole – and E st i m a t e d e n vi r o n m ent al benefit :
a regular service not just to our main
maintain it in difficult €12. 7m ( o ve r t h r e e year s)
times.” customer on the route, but also
C o n t a c t:
to the market as a whole – t . st r u yf @ i f b . b e
The new service is fast-
and maintain it in difficult times”
er than sending goods
by road – 42 hours T O N Y S T R U Y F ,
rather than 48 hours, I N T E R N A T I O N A L B U S I N E S S D E V E L O P M E N T
the timings are more M A N A G E R , I F B B E L G I U M
reliable and the service
is available over the weekend – when first year and 59% in the second,” says
Austrian and German roads are closed Struyf. “We nevertheless believe that
to trucks. “Goods loaded on the train achieving 65% of our targets on average
in Genk, in the hinterland of Antwerp, over the two years of operation is a very
on Friday evening will be delivered in good figure.”
Bucharest/Sofia on Monday morning.
This is ‘mission impossible’ by road,”
Struyf points out. IFB estimates that the
rail service is taking 11 500 trucks a year
off the road – or 225km of trucks head
to tail.
11
PAGE
Taura
RO SSIJ SK A
Kiel F E D E R AC I J
Rostock Gdańsk
AND Hannover
Potsdam
Berlin
Poznań
Magdeburg warszawa
P OLSK A
Zielona Góra
DE UTS CHLAND Łódż
Düsseldorf
Lublin
Erfurt Dresden Wrocław
Kielce
Opole
Wiesbaden Frankfurt a. M.
U RG Mainz
Worms Praha
Katowice
Kraków Rzeszów Modal shift
Saarbrücken ČESK Á RE P U BLIK A
Stuttgart
ourg
SLO V E NSK Á
RE P U BLIK A
München Linz Sankt Pölten Wien
Bratislava
Salzburg Eisenstadt
Bregenz
Worgl ÖSTERR E IC H
Bern Innsbruck Budapest
S U I SSE Graz MAG YA RO RSZÁG
Klagenfurt
Genova
Bologna
BOSNA I
HE RC E G OV INA
SRBIJ A
Beograd
RAIL CUTS TIME
AND RAISES QUALITY
Firenze
Sarajevo
A
Ancona
D
P i
R
L . O . G . I . S . T. I . C .
new route
old route
Are you small but smart? Then Marco arrival time – and delays or problems.
Project name : Polo could be for you. “The Marco Polo Our customers can optimise their hu-
Lo gis tic O perational n e twor k programme is a way for smaller but man and economic resources, and their
f or G as Innovative Su p p ly smart operators to take part in an am- customers can make plans based on
and Trans port between Ita ly bitious project,” says Furio Bombardi, ‘just-in-time’ logistics.”
and C entral Europe – L.O.G.I .S.T.I .C. Sales Manager at FS Logistica in Milan.
Si ze of Marco P olo gra n t: “Without Marco Polo,
€4 8 7 3 7 4 I don’t think all the part- “The Marco Polo programme is a way
D uration of project gr a n t: ners in our project would
for smaller but smart operators
Janua ry 2 006 to Janu a ry 200 9 have come together.”
Le ad partner :
to take part in an ambitious project”
FS L ogis tica s.p.a. (ex-Ca rg o Ch e mic a l) , The project had two
M i lan (Italy) other major benefits: F U R I O B O M B A R D I ,
O t her partner s:
“It shortened the time S A L E S M A N A G E R ,
FS LOGISTICA, MILAN
M ontana Gas GmbH (Ge rma n y ) , Pr ima g a z to break-even point and
Central Europe GmbH (Au str ia ) , Tr e n it a lia was an opportunity to
s. p. a. (Italy) introduce new technology to the logistics It was not all plain sailing. Market condi-
Volum e of goods shifte d o ff t h e r o a d: industry,” by developing and testing a new tions changed in 2007 and 2008 in ways
269m tonne-kilometres (three-year estimate) GPS tracking and tracing system for main- LOGISTIC could not have foreseen,
Es timated environmenta l be n e f i t:
taining control of shipments of hazardous and the project fell short of its targets.
€5 .2 m (ov er three yea rs) materials over a wide geographic area. “Despite the difficulties, the LPG transport
contracts were extended even after the
Contact : f.bombardi@fslo g is t ic a .it
The project took advantage of rising project came to an end, so I am hopeful,”
demand for LPG (liquefied petroleum says Bombardi, “not only that the service
gas) in central and eastern Europe, and will continue in the years to come, but
falling consumption in Italy at a time when that the model can be extended to other
production was rising as a by-product of dangerous goods in future.”
increased diesel fuel and petrol output.
A rail service existed, but was not com-
petitive because it was based on single,
ad hoc loads. LOGISTIC launched a dedi-
cated block train service – 12-14 wagons
at a time.
12
PAGE
Dublin
ÉIR E Baile Átha Cliath
U NIT ED
A
KING D OM
C E LT I C S E A
L
Cardiff
Amsterdam
T
London
NEDERLAND
Calais BE LG IË
A
CHANNEL Bruxelles D
LISH
ENG Lille Brussel Düsseldorf
BE LG IQ U E
Namur
Amiens
Rouen
Caen Wiesbaden
LU X E M BO U R G M
W
Paris Châlons-en-Champagne
Rennes Metz Saarbrücken
Modal shift B A Y
Nantes
Orléans Strasbourg
Dijon
poitier
F R A N C E Bessançon
O F Bern
Limoges SU ISSE
B I S C A Y Clermont-Ferrand Lyon
Santiago de Compostela Bordeaux
Aosta-Aoste
Oviedo
M
Santander
Torino Casale
Bilbao
San Sebastián
oimbra
ANDORRA GULF
Zaragora OF LIONS
G A L ES PA ÑA
Madrid COR S E
Barcelona
Ajaccio
Toledo
A F R E I G H T- O N LY Mérida
Valencia
WEEKEND FERRY
Palma de Mallorca
S A R D EG N A
Sevilla I SLAS BALE A R E S
Murcia
Cagliari
T
Gulf Stream
new route
old route
Gulf Stream is a Marco Polo project with the project business plan. “Economic
offering a motorway-of-the-sea alterna- conditions force us to remain very atten- P r o j e c t n a m e:
tive for freight traffic between northern tive to customer needs and to be able to Gulf Stream
Spain and southern England. It has two propose innovative solutions which help S i ze o f M a r c o P o l o gr ant:
special features: their profitability and their green image”, €870 077
he says.
> It is a freight-only roll-on/roll-off service. D u r a t i o n o f p r o j e c t gr ant:
M a r c h 2008 t o M a r ch 2011
This means that trucks and unaccom- “Ingrained habits are sometimes hard to
panied trailers do not have to compete break. We have to convince clients to test Le a d p a r t n e r:
for space with tourist vehicles during for themselves the advantages of the new B r i t t a n y Fe r r i e s, R o scof f (Fr ance)
the holiday season. service,” says Potier. “We show them our O t h e r p a r t n e rs:
commercial operations on the ground. P u e r t o d e S a n t a n d er ( S pai n),
> The service operates one return sailing And we try hard to raise awareness P o o l e H a r b o u r ( U K ) , B r i t tany Fer r i es
every weekend between the Spanish among transporters and logistics firms ( U K ) & B r i t t a n y Fe r r i es ( Spai n)
port of Santander and Poole on the Eng- of the cost differentials and productivity Vo l u m e o f g o o d s sh i f t ed off the r oad:
lish south coast, so as to take advantage gains a direct sea link can provide.” 435m t o n n e - ki l o m e t r es
of the weekend ban on heavy trucks ( t h r e e - ye a r e st i m a t e )
using the French national road network.
E st i m a t e d e n vi r o n m ent al benefit:
€12. 1m ( o ve r t h r e e year s)
According to Brittany Ferries, which op-
erates the service, the door-to-door cost C o n t a c t:
and duration is less than overland transit f r a n c o i s. p o t i e r @ b r i tt any-fer r i es. fr
13
PAGE
NORGE Falun Gävle
Oslo
Uppsa
Västerås
Karlstad
Örebro Stoc
Nyköping
Linköping
AK
E RR
SKAG Göteborg Jönköping
Vi
N O R T H
Växjö
Catalyst action
Halmstd Kalmar
S E A
DANMARK Karlskrona
København
Malmö
Kiel
Rostock Gdańsk
Hamburg Schwerin
Bremen
Szczecin
Amsterdam By
NEDERLAND Hannover
Potsdam
Berlin
Poznań
Magdeburg
P
E LG I Ë Zielona Góra
Bruxelles DEUTSCHLAND
Opole
THE GOODS
Wiesbaden Frankfurt a. M.
LUXEM BOURG Mainz Katowic
Worms Praha
-en-Champagne
Scandinavian Shuttle
new route
old route
The Scandinavian Shuttle uses the Oeresund UBQ director Sven-Erik Andersson says
Project name : fixed link, one of Europe’s biggest infra- the different rules and regulations of the
Scandinav ian Shuttle structure projects co-funded by the EU, to national railway authorities in Europe
Si ze of Marco P olo gra n t:
help create a viable rail freight corridor be- were a major obstacle. “Although traffic
€2 5 0 0 0 0 0
tween continental Europe and Scandinavia. volumes are rising and the quality of the
It targets the central stretch of the corridor service is constantly improving, we have
D uration of project gr a n t:
– from the Ruhr region of Germany to south- found that rail transport is much harder
June 2 0 0 6 to May 2010
ern and central Sweden via Denmark. to handle than more conventional road
Le ad partner :
U BQ A B of Malmoe, Swe d en The Scandinavian Shut- “The project has given us a higher market
O t her partner s: tle operates a daily rail
profile as an environment-friendly company
Van D ieren (Netherland s) & NGI L , service with fixed jour-
O eres und Logistic (Swe d e n) ney times, providing and has raised awareness of environment
Volum e of goods shifte d o ff t h e r o a d: just-in-time goods deliv- issues among our staff”
92 3 m tonne-kilometres eries in both directions.
( f our-y ear estimate) It uses the Oeresund S V E N - E R I K A N D E R S S O N ,
Es timated environmenta l be n e f i t: tunnel and bridge be- U B Q D I R E C T O R
€2 7 .5 m (ov er four years) tween Copenhagen and
Contact :
Malmoe. Before the Scandinavian Shut- transport”, he says. Asked about the ben-
Sv en-Erik @ubq.se
tle, the main option for customers was a efits for UBQ, he says “the project has
combination of truck and ferry services given us a higher market profile as an
between Germany and Sweden. environment-friendly company and has
raised awareness of environment issues
The project sets out to provide the rail
among our staff”.
transit service with the levels of qual-
ity and reliability associated with road
transport. Each container or trailer has
a mobile phone module with a GPS card
reporting its position in near-real time to
a Reliability Control Centre to facilitate
cargo track-and-trace. The train locomo-
tive is equipped to cope with the switch
between the Danish and Swedish elec-
tricity and Automatic Train Control (ATC)
systems in the middle of the Oeresund
fixed link. The Scandinavian Shuttle is
open to any train operator wishing to use it.
14
PAGE
Common learning
E-LEARNING FILLS
SKILLS GAP
E W I TA
Project Manager Sabine Piribauer of February 2006. The budget for the new
lead partner via donau shows how train- project has been more than doubled. P r o j e c t n a m e: E WI TA
ing is vital for changing minds and modes
S i ze o f M a r c o P o l o gr ant: €756 445
on Europe’s great waterways. The initial programme developed a Euro-
pean concept for training on intermodal D u r a t i o n o f p r o j e c t gr ant:
W H Y D I D Y O U D E V E L O P T H E E W I TA inland waterway transport which it then J u n e 2008 t o M a y 2010
PROJECT AND ITS E-LEARNING applied to the Danube corridor via an In- Le a d p a r t n e r: vi a d o nau
P L AT F O R M S ? land Navigation eLearning System (INeS). ( Ö st e r r e i c h i sc h e Wa sser str assen-
G e se l l sc h a f t m b H , V i enna (Austr i a)
Europe’s inland waterway sector is facing “We very much liked O t h e r p a r t n e rs: S t i cht i ng P r oj ecten
a skills and labour shortage at a critical B i n n e n va a r t ( N e t h e r l ands), Eur opean
time. EWITA aims to fill the gap by creating the Marco Polo focus I n t e r m o d a l A sso c i a t i on ( Bel gi um ),
a common European training concept and on operational activities Fo r sc h u n g - & E n t w i ckl ungs- Gm bH,
practical training programmes for intermo- related to the economy C a m p u s S t e yr FH O Ö ( A ustr i a),
dal inland waterway transport. It covers I m a g i n a t i o n C o m p u ter S er vi ces
and the business sector rather
both the Danube and Rhine corridors. ( A u st r i a ) , P r o m o t i e B i nnenvaar t
than on research projects” V l a a n d e r e n ( B e l g i u m) , R om ani an
Spreading knowledge on this highly envi- M a r i t i m e Tr a i n i n g C ent r e, C ER ONAV
ronment-friendly and cost-effective mode SABINE PIRIBAUER, ( R o m a n i a ) , R e g i o n a al O plei di ngen
PROJECT MANAGER, VIA DONAU
of transport and making it easily accessi- C e n t r u m Z e e l a n d ( Net herl ands),
ble, helps shift traffic from roads to inland S c h i f f a h r t s- Ve r l a g H ansa C . S chr oedter
waterways in the longer term. EWITA of- & C o ( G e r m a n y)
EWITA refines and expands the concept,
fers the latest training concepts and state- updates the INeS Danube, and creates a Contact: [email protected]
of-the-art e-learning platforms for water- similar platform, INeS RMS, for the Rhine-
borne logistics in Europe. They are tailored Meuse-Scheldt corridor. Both platforms
in a flexible way to interface with the train- are available in English, German, Dutch
ing needs of future inland shipping opera- and/or Romanian.
tors and interested transport users.
HOW DID MARCO POLO HELP?
I T T H I S PA R T O F A L O N G E R - T E R M
PROCESS? We very much liked the Marco Polo focus
on operational activities related to the
EWITA stands for European web platforms economy and the business sector rather
and training concepts for inter-modal than on research projects. Practical
inland waterway transport. It is a direct projects with industrial partners can be
follow-up to an earlier Marco Polo project handled in a less complicated way.
eWIT, which ran from December 2003 to
15
PAGE
DA N MA R K Karlskrona
B
København
Malmö
Kiel
Rostock Gdańsk
Hamburg Schwerin
Bremen
Szczecin
Amsterdam Bydg
NEDERLAND Hannover
Potsdam
Berlin
Poznań
Magdeburg
P O
B E LGIË Zielona Góra
Bruxelles D EU TS C H L A N D Ł
Catalyst action
e Brussel Düsseldorf
B E LGIQ U E Erfurt
Namur Dresden Wrocław
ns
Opole
Wiesbaden Frankfurt a. M.
LU X E MB OURG Mainz Katowice
Worms Praha
lons-en-Champagne
Metz Saarbrücken ČESK Á R EP UB L IK A
Stuttgart
Strasbourg
SLO
R EP
München Linz Sankt Pölten Wien
Bratislava
Dijon
Salzburg Eisenstadt
Bessançon Bregenz
Worgl ÖST ER R EICH
Bern Innsbruck
S U I S S E Graz MAGYA
Klagenfurt
Lyon
A ONE-STOP SHOP
Aosta-Aoste Trento SLO V ENIJA
Ljubjana
Milano Trieste Zagreb
Torino Casale Padova Venezia H R VATSK A
ellier
Genova
Bologna
B O SNA I
FOR NORTH-SOUTH FREIGHT
ItaloExpress
new route
old route
16
PAGE
GULF OF BO
Sundsvall
Mikkeli
Sýt Michel
Hämeenlinna
Travastehus
E Falun Gävle
Turku
Åbo Helsinki
Oslo Maarianhamina Helsingfors
Uppsala Mariehamn
Västerås Tallinn
Karlstad
Örebro Stockholm
S E A
Nyköping E E ST I
Linköping
AK
Göteborg Jönköping
Visby
C
Ventspils
Modal shift
T I
Växjö Rīga
L AT VI J A
Halmstd Kalmar
A L
K Karlskrona
Šiauliai
Telšiai
Panevėžys
B
København Klaipėda
Malmö Utena
L I E T UVA
Tauragė
Kaunas
R OSSI J SK A Vilnius
Marijampolė
el F E D E R AC I J Alytus
Rostock Gdańsk Minsk
Schwerin Olsztyn
BE L AR U
Szczecin Białystok
Bydgoszcz
Berlin
Potsdam
Poznań
burg warszawa
POL SK A
Zielona Góra
B A LT I C S H U T T L E
AND Łódż
Lublin
Dresden Wrocław
Kielce
Katowice
Praha Kraków Rzeszów
BaSS
new route
old route
Using short-sea routes for shipping cargo network to/from different destinations in
is, of course, desirable on environmental the Baltic Sea area. Tesch says: “progress P r o j e c t n a m e:
grounds, but at the end of the day it has was fast – in the first nine months, truck B a l t i c S e a S h u t t l e ( B aS S )
to make economic sense as well. This is and trailer traffic between Rostock and S i ze o f M a r c o P o l o gr ant:
why Scandlines turned to the Marco Polo Ventspils doubled and went up by another €1 316 000
Programme for short-term support to ad- 35% the following year”
D u r a t i o n o f p r o j e c t gr ant:
just to increased competition from road
J a n u a r y 2006 t o J a nuar y 2009
transport for its Baltic freight services “Without Marco Polo funding to under-
write the start-up costs in the early years, Le a d p a r t n e r:
after the EU enlargement of 2004.
I don’t think we would have increased S c a n d l i n e s D e u t sc h l and Gm bH,
The aim of BaSS was to increase the the frequency,” says Tesch. “And we R o st o c k- Wa r n e m ü n d e ( G er m any)
share of sea transport in the overall were successful. Traffic did move back O t h e r p a r t n e rs:
freight traffic between Germany and the to the sea and we met all our Marco Polo H a f e n - E n t w i c kl u n g s gesell schaft
Baltic states, and on R o st o c k m b H ( G e r m any) ;
to Poland and Russia. “Without Marco Polo funding to underwrite Fr e e P o r t o f Ve n t sp il s ( Latvi a)
An existing service be- the start-up costs in the early years, I don’t Vo l u m e o f g o o d s sh i f t ed off the r oad:
tween Rostock (Germa- 658m t o n n e - ki l o m e t r es
think we would have increased the frequency”
ny) and Liepaja (Latvia) ( t h r e e - ye a r e st i m a t e )
was moved to Ventspils, E st i m a t e d e n vi r o n m ent al benefit :
GERNOT TESCH,
another Latvian port, D E P U T Y L I N E M A N A G E R €20. 8m ( o ve r t h r e e year s)
and expanded through S W E D E N / B A L T I C U M / F I N L A N D , S C A N D L I N E S C o n t a c t:
the deployment of an ad- g e r n o t . t e sc h @ sc a n d l i nes. de
ditional vessel. This doubled capacity and project milestones. In general, the first
frequency (from two to four departures aim should always be to get rid of the
per port and per week. Since then, a third competitive disadvantage of sea traffic
ferry has been employed on the route. compared to land traffic, in order to make
support programmes like Marco Polo re-
“By moving to Ventspils, we were able dundant in the long-term.”
to offer customers better port infrastruc-
ture”, says Gernot Tesch, Deputy Line
Manager Sweden/Balticum/Finland for
Scandlines, “and to develop this port as a
hub for all Scandlines activities in eastern
Europe”. At the Rostock end, one of the
attractions for this traffic was the ability
to transfer not just to rail and road, but to
utilise synergies with the existing route
17
PAGE
Ha
Cardiff
Amsterdam
London
NEDERLAND Hannov
Calais BELGI Ë
CHANNEL Bruxelles DEUT
LISH
ENG Lille Brussel Düsseldorf
BELG I QUE
Namur
Amiens
Rouen
Caen Wiesbaden Frankf
LUX EMBO URG Mainz
Worms
Paris Châlons-en-Champagne
Rennes Metz Saarbrücken
Nantes
Orléans Strasbourg
Stut
Catalyst action
Dijon
poitier
F R A N C E Bessançon Br
Bern
Limoges SUI SSE
A Y Clermont-Ferrand Lyon
Bordeaux
Aosta-Aoste
Milano
Torino Casale
San Sebastián
Toulouse Genova
Pamplona-Iruña Montpellier
I N N O VAT I V E C O N TA I N E R S
Monaco
Marseille Fi
ANDORRA GULF
FGI System
new route
old route
Production of glass is not evenly distrib- gium to Spain and Portugal. As the Span-
Project name : uted across Europe. Broadly speaking, ish railway gauge is different from that of
FG I S y s tem the production plants are in northern France and Belgium, the containers must
Si ze of Marco P olo gra n t:
Europe, in particular Belgium, France be transferred to trucks at the Franco-
€3 0 0 0 0 0 0
and the Netherlands, and the consum- Spanish border. Over the life of the project,
ers, of course, are everywhere. This cre- Lannutti hopes to shift more than half a
D uration of project gr a n t:
ates a need for specialist long-distance million tonnes from road to rail in trans-
A pri l 2 0 0 8 to April 2013
transport. ports from Belgium to Italy and Spain.
Le ad partner :
La nnutti s .p.a., C uneo (Ita ly) Jumbo sheets of flat “The Marco Polo funding was important to us,
O t her partner : glass – 6m x 3.21m – in-
because it reduces the risk associated
La nnutti s prl (France) tended mainly for the
Volum e of goods shifte d o ff t h e r o a d: construction and auto- with a highly innovative investment
49 6 m tonne-kilometres motive industries are and allows us to give a higher technical
( f i v e-y ear estimate) normally carried by road content to our services”
Es timated environmenta l be n e f i t: in specially designed
€9 .9 m (ov er five years) trailers (inloaders) with F R A N C O G H I G L I O N E ,
hydraulic systems and L A N N U T T I
Contact :
f ranc o.ghiglione@lann u tti.it
air bags to cushion them
al es s andra.lannutti@la n u tti.it
from shocks. The FGI System project is for “While all this may sound simple,”
the first time deploying a modified design Ghiglione adds, “it actually required
of the special inloaders and using cranes investment in a new intermodal fleet.
to transfer them from the road to flatbed We believe the project has good long-
railway wagons. term prospects, but the Marco Polo
funding was important to us, because it
“This made intermodal transport possi- reduces the risk associated with a highly
ble for the first time,” Franco Ghiglione of innovative investment and allows us to
lead company Lannutti points out. “It also give a higher technical content to our
has the added benefit that more weight services.”
can be carried per inloader. There are
weight restrictions when we ship by road.
Between Belgium and Italy, the first route
used for the new system, there is a weight
gain per inloader of about 25%.”
18
PAGE
Common learning
ALL ABOARD
FOR INTER-MODAL LEARNING
GLAD
Eduard Rodés, Director of the Escola Authority into a school with a European
Europea de Short Sea Shipping in dimension. We take students from seven P r o j e c t n a m e:
Barcelona, describes his experience different EU countries. G LA D – G r e e n Lo g i st i cs Acti on
with Marco Polo. & D e p l o ym e n t
W H AT D O Y O U T E A C H ?
S i ze o f M a r c o P o l o gr ant:
W H AT I S T H E E S C O L A E U R O P E A
€1 355 152
DE SHORT SEA SHIPPING? GLAD provides two courses: Motorways
of the Sea Training (MOST) and SURCO, D u r a t i o n o f p r o j e c t gr ant:
As the name suggests, we teach short- M a r c h 2009 t o Fe b r uar y 2011
Simple Use Railway Connections. Each
sea shipping – combining hands-on train- four-day course is stand-alone, but they Le a d p a r t n e r:
ing and high academic standards. We run can be combined over a week. During E sc o l a E u r o p e a d e S hor t S ea S hi ppi ng,
courses for students and people working the first two years, we ran three short- Barcelona (Spain)
in the industry on board vessels plying sea shipping courses – an introduction to O t h e r p a r t n e rs:
the Mediterranean between Barcelona in maritime logistics, basic operations and P o r t A u t h o r i t y o f B a r cel ona (S pai n),
Spain and Civitavecchia in Italy. We be- services, and global logistics operations. G r i m a l d i C o m p a g n i a di Navi gaz i one
lieve this approach makes us unique. a n d G r a n d i N a vi Ve loci ( Ital y),
W H AT I S D I F F E R E N T N O W F R O M P o r t A u t h o r i t i e s o f R om e/Laz i o
W H AT H A S B E E N T H E R O L E W H E N Y O U S TA R T E D ? a n d G e n o a ( I t a l y) , F er r ocar r i l es
OF THE MARCO POLO PROGRAMME? d e V i a E st r e c h a - FE V E ( S pai n)
We are emphasising inter-modality much C o n t a c t:
Marco Polo first gave us €1m for an initial more. We have an additional partner, e d u a r d _ r o d e s@ a p b . es
two-year project which has been com- FEVE, a Spanish railway company, giv-
pleted. We successfully bid for another ing us on-train classrooms in addition to
two-year grant of €1.3m
to cover the second
“We teach students how to measure
phase known as GLAD.
The Marco Polo grants the true long-term environmental cost
met just over one third of different forms of transport”
of our costs initially and
almost half the second E D U A R D R O D É S , D I R E C T O R O F T H E E S C O L A
time. Those are short E U R O P E A D E S H O R T S E A S H I P P I N G , B A R C E L O N A
time spans in terms of
what we would like for forward planning our classrooms at sea. The environmental
purposes, but Marco Polo has neverthe- content of the courses is also greater. We
less been vital for us. We would otherwise teach students how to measure the true
not have been able to expand the similar long-term environmental cost of different
local courses run by the Barcelona Port forms of transport.
19
PAGE
Rennes Metz Saarbrücken
Stuttgart
Orléans Strasbourg
antes
München
Dijon
poitier
F R A N C E Bessançon Bregenz
Worgl
Bern Innsbruck
Limoges S UIS S E
K
Clermont-Ferrand Lyon
Bordeaux
Aosta-Aoste Trento
Milano Tri
Torino Casale Padova Venezi
Toulouse Genova
Bologna
Modal shift
Montpellier
Monaco
Marseille Firenze
ANDORRA GULF Ancona
OF LIONS Perugia
ITA L IA
COR S E
Barcelona
Ajaccio
Roma
Cam
Palma de Mallorca
S ARDE G N A
A MARK OF QUALITY
I S LA S B A LE A R E S
Cagliari
T Y R R H E N
M E D I T E S E A
R
The WestMed Bridge
new route
old route
“We are faster and “Being awarded Marco Polo funding is also
cheaper, and this is a
a form of quality mark for our business”
more reliable service
with departures and
PAUL KYPRIANOU,
arrivals on fixed days E X T E R N A L R E L A T I O N S M A N A G E R ,
of the week and at G R I M A L D I G R O U P
fixed times,” says Paul
Kyprianou, External Relations Manager
for the Grimaldi Group. “Over the life of
the project, we expect the equivalent of
72 585 trucks or trailers to be shifted
from road to sea.”
20
PAGE
Amsterdam
Modal shift
NEDERLAND
B E L G I Ë Bruxelles
Düsseldo
e Brussel
D E F I N I T E LY W O R T H BELGIQU E
Namur
THE EFFORT
DZRS
new route
old route
The procedures associated with Marco for the Far East and the UK. In Duisburg,
Polo funding can sometimes appear too they can transfer directly to a Vienna- P r o j e c t n a m e:
much of a challenge for some companies. Budapest rail shuttle or make use of in- D Z R S – D u i sb u r g - Z eebr ugge
Complaints about the Brussels bureauc- ternational combined transport networks Rail Shuttle
racy are not uncommon. But Norbert operating out of a dedicated terminal. S i ze o f M a r c o P o l o gr ant:
Rekers, Director of Sales €503 847
for the Duisport Agency “We would reapply.
D u r a t i o n o f p r o j e c t gr ant:
in Germany says things
O c t o b e r 2006 t o O c t ober 2009
have got better: “We The hurdles to getting the money
Le a d p a r t n e r:
would reapply. On the have been reduced; on the other hand,
D u i sp o r t A g e n c y G mbH ,
one hand, the hurdles to the amount of money has been increased”
D u i sb u r g ( G e r m a n y)
getting the money have
been reduced; on the N O R B E R T R E K E R S , O t h e r p a r t n e rs: P o r t C onnect NV
other hand, the amount D I R E C T O R O F S A L E S F O R T H E D U I S P O R T A G E N C Y , ( B e l g i u m ) , C M A / C G M ( B el gi um ),
I FB I n t e r Fe r r y B o a t ( B el gi um )
of money has been in- G E R M A N Y
creased. All in all, that Vo l u m e o f g o o d s sh i f t ed off the r oad:
makes the benefit very worthwhile for The traffic shifted from road to rail ex- 252m t o n n e - ki l o m e t r es
new intermodal projects.” In the case ceeded forecasts by well over 5% in ( t h r e e - ye a r e st i m a t e )
of the DZRS (Duisburg-Zeebrugge Rail the first two years. Duisport was able E st i m a t e d e n vi r o n m ent al benefit :
Shuttle) project, the benefit covers just to go from three services each way per €4. 0m ( o ve r t h r e e year s)
under half the losses anticipated in the week to four within three months – “fast- C o n t a c t:
first three years of operation. The project er than we had expected,” says Rekers. n o r b e r t . r e ke r s@ d u i spor t .de
is taking the equivalent of more than “The final objective was five times a
25 000 standard containers of cargo off week, and we achieved this in 2008. We
the roads each year. unfortunately had to cut back to four again
once EU economies entered recession in
DZRS provides a train link between the 2008-2009, but the project is still meeting
world’s largest inland container port – its traffic shift targets.”
Duisburg (Duisport) – and two of northern
Europe’s major seaports, Zeebrugge and
Antwerp. Previously the containers had
a difficult road journey. “Congestion was
actually a threat to the growth of traffic,”
Rekers says.
21
PAGE
KING DO M
LT I C S E A
Cardiff
Amsterdam
London
NE
Calais BE LG IË
ANNEL
L ISH CH Bruxe
ENG Lille Bruss
BE LG I Q
Na
Amiens
Rouen
Caen
LU
Rennes
Paris Châlons-en-Champagn
M
Motorways of the sea
Orléans
Nantes
B A Y
Dijon
poitier
F R A N C E Bessan
O F
Limoges
B I S C A Y Clermont-Ferrand Lyon
Bordeaux
do
Santander
Bilbao
Vitoria-Gasteiz
San Sebastián
Toulouse
EU SUPPORT ENHANCES
CREDIBILITY
Pamplona-Iruña Montpellier
Logroño Mo
M ill
“European Union support is important them. Then many trailers did not have
Project name : for us and sends a powerful signal to the ferry eyes (fixture points) for lashing them
Ro-Ro P as t France market that our project has a European di- on board the vessel. In addition, some
Si ze of Marco P olo gra n t:
mension.” For Karel Van Zijl from the lead operators were not familiar with unac-
€6 8 0 0 0 0 0
company, Spliethoff’s Bevrachtingskan- companied transport (trailers without the
toor of Amsterdam, this is one of the big driving unit and driver). We spent time
D uration of project gr a n t:
benefits of the Marco Polo programme. helping hauliers from Spain and Portugal
September 2007 to De c e mbe r 2 0 1 1
and those from the northern end of the link
Le ad partner : As its name indicates, this project pro- to sort out how they could provide driving
Spli ethoff’s Bevrachtin g ska n t o o r, vides a motorway-of-the-sea alternative units for each other’s trailers.”
A m s terdam (Netherla n d s) to get freight off the congested interna-
O t her partner s: tional road transit corridor across France. “We expected to break even after year
Trans fennica Iberia S.L (Sp a in ) , Ro-Ro Past France initially offered three one; but the economic crisis came along.
Trans fennica Belgium BVBA ( Be lg iu m) , sailings a week (rising to five in Septem- Volumes are rising again and we are con-
O y Tr ans fennica AB (Fin la n d ) ber 2009) in each direction between Bil- fident for the future. We trust the EU sub-
Volume of goods shifte d of f t h e r o a d: bao in northern Spain and the Belgian sidy will partly compensate us for what
8. 4 bi llion tonne-kilom e tre s port of Zeebrugge. Each vessel carries up we have invested in this service,” says
( 4.3 -y ear estimate) to 200 unaccompanied road trailers. Van Zijl.
Es timated environmenta l b e n e f i t:
€2 1 1 m (ov er 4.3 years) At the Spanish end, “European Union support is important for us
trucks deliver trailers to
Contact :
Bilbao destined for the
and sends a powerful signal to the market
ka rel.v anz ijl@transfen n ic a.c o m
Benelux, north Germany, that our project has a European dimension”
the United Kingdom and
Sweden. Trailers for K A R E L V A N Z I J L ,
SPLIETHOFF’S BEVRACHTINGSKANTOOR,
the UK and Sweden are
AMSTERDAM
transhipped to another
ferry at Zeebrugge.
Other trailers continue by road to their
final destination. Southbound freight does
the same in reverse.
22
PAGE
GULF
Hämeenlinna
Travastehus
NORGE Falun Gävle
Turku
Åbo Helsinki
Oslo Maarianhamina Helsingfors
Uppsala Mariehamn
Västerås Tallinn
Karlstad
Örebro Stockholm
S E A
Nyköping E E S T I
Linköping
AK
E RR
SKAG Göteborg Jönköping
Visby
C
dinburgh Ventspils
N O R T H
T I
Växjö Rīga
L AT V I JA
Halmstd Kalmar
S E A
A L
DANMARK Karlskrona
Šiauliai
Telšiai
Panevėžys
B
København Klaipėda
Malmö Utena
L I E T U VA
Tauragė
Kaunas
R OS S I JS K A Vilnius
Marijampolė
ITED F E D E R AC I J
Kiel Alytus
Rostock Gdańsk
GDOM
Hamburg Schwerin Olsztyn
Bremen
Modal shift
Szczecin Białystok
Amsterdam Bydgoszcz
London
NEDERLAND Hannover
Potsdam
Berlin
Poznań
Magdeburg warszawa
POL S K A
Calais B ELGIË Zielona Góra
NNEL Bruxelles DEUTSCH LAND Łódż
Lille Brussel Düsseldorf
Lublin
B ELGIQUE Erfurt
Namur Dresden Wrocław
Amiens Kielce
Rouen Opole
n Wiesbaden Frankfurt a. M.
LUXEM B OURG Mainz Katowice
Worms Praha Kraków Rzeszów
Paris Châlons-en-Champagne
Metz Saarbrücken Č ESK Á RE PU BL I K A
Orléans Stuttgart
Strasbourg
S LOV E N S K Á
R E PU BL I K A
München Linz Sankt Pölten Wien
Bratislava
Dijon
Salzburg Eisenstadt
F R A N C E Bessançon Bregenz
Worgl ÖST ERRE I C H
Bern Innsbruck Budapest
GREEN CUSTOMERS
Monaco
HE R C E G OV I N A
Marseille Firenze
Sarajevo
A
ORRA GULF Ancona
D
OF LIONS Perugia
R
A
I
ITALIA Sofija BÂLG
CO RS E T
Campobasso
S
E
A Tiranë
A new rail freight network and innovative “These are early days. The service is
multimodal refrigerated containers are at stable and developing, but the econom- P r o j e c t n a m e:
the heart of this ambitious project. Its aim ic recession has meant lower freight Euro Reefer Rail Net
is to switch freight from 11 long-distance volumes and decreasing prices in the S i ze o f M a r c o P o l o gr ant:
road routes onto rail. These truck routes freight transport market”, says Schouten. €2 128 948
cross Europe from Finland in the North to “We have carried out our modal shift
D u r a t i o n o f p r o j e c t gr ant:
Italy in the south and from Poland in the carefully and successfully and are
J a n u a r y 2009 t o D e c em ber 2011
east to the UK in the west. They are being making all efforts to achieve the principal
Le a d p a r t n e r:
replaced by a network of nine dedicated targets.”
H Z H o l d i n g B . V. M a a sdi j k
rail freight services with fixed routes and
( T h e N e t h e r l a n d s)
schedules.
O t h e r p a r t n e r:
According to the lead “The project helps us to realise D a n o n e N . V. ( B e l g i um )
company, Dutch trans- Vo l u m e o f g o o d s sh i f t ed off the r oad:
our strategy to force a change of mindset
port group HZ Hold- 1. 09 b i l l i o n t o n n e - kil om etr es
ing, pressure for this in the existing road transport market” ( t h r e e - ye a r e st i m a t e )
modal shift from road E st i m a t e d e n vi r o n m ent al benefit :
to rail is coming from E D W I N S C H O U T E N , €15. 2m ( o ve r t h r e e year s)
DIRECTOR; HZ LOGISTICS
environmentally aware C o n t a c t:
manufacturers and cus- h z@ h zt r a n sp o r t . c o m
tomers rather than from governments or
freight forwarders. “The project helps us
to realise our strategy to force a change
of mindset in the existing road transport
market”, says HZ logistics director Edwin
Schouten.
23
PAGE
Berlin
Potsdam
Po
Magdeburg
Ziel
D EU TSC HLA ND
Catalyst action
Dresden W
Praha
Č ESK Á R EPU B L I K A U P R I V E R B Y B O AT A N D T R U C K
ETS Elbe
new route
old route
This project sets out its green credentials downstream rail and waterway services.
Project name : ETS Elb e up front. ETS stands for Ecological Trans- Stefan Kunze of Sächsische Binnen-
port Service. The aim is to expand the häfen Oberelbe says that even during the
Si ze of Marco P olo gra n t:
€1 6 3 5 3 3 0
potential for freight transport on the River extreme low water levels of 2008 “cargo
Elbe between Germany and the Czech tonnages remained unaffected, thanks
D uration of project gr a n t:
Republic by introducing scheduled to the intensive efforts we made to
A pri l 2 0 0 7 to March 2011
services using an integrated transport ensure customers’ interests were our top
Le ad partner : Sächsisc h e Bin n e n h ä f e n container system. priority”.
O bere lbe GmbH, Dresd e n
O t her partner s: The biggest obstacle to “The big extra bonus for us from the project
I ndus triehafen R oß lau Gmb H, expanding freight traf-
has been the knock-on effect of our marketing
M agd eburger Hafen Gmb H, ( Ge r ma n y ) , fic on the Elbe has been
CSP L a.s ., Česko-S aske Př is t a v y s .r.o . periods of extremely low for ETS Elbe. New customers have now started
( Czec h R epublic), Odr a Rh ein L lo y d water, when the size to use the service, bringing new business,
G m bH (G ermany) and draught of usable especially for our port installations”
Volum e of goods shifte d o ff t h e r o a d: vessels were limited.
44 0 m tonne-kilometres This also made it hard S T E F A N K U N Z E ,
( f our-y ear estimate) to introduce scheduled S Ä C H S I S C H E B I N N E N H Ä F E N O B E R E L B E
Es timated environmenta l be n e f i t: services. The result
€1 0 .5 m (ov er four years) was that many shippers migrated to road “One unexpected problem we ran into
Contact : transport for the whole inland journey was the different technical specifications
st efan_k unz e@binnen h a fe n- s a c h s e n .d e from the German seaports of Hamburg or of the vessels and barges we use,” says
Bremerhaven. Kunze. “These are from Germany, the
Czech Republic and Poland. And despite
The ETS Elbe project overcomes the European norms, they had to be modified
problem by providing a scheduled inland to make them compatible with each other
waterway service connecting the deep- and with the equipment and installations
water system of the Mittellandkanal and in each country.”
the shallow-draught River Elbe system.
The project uses inland waterways for “The big extra bonus for us from the
the whole journey when possible, with lo- project has been the knock-on effect of
cal replacement road services when part our marketing for ETS Elbe. New custom-
of the river is not navigable. The use of ers have now started to use the service,
containers allows a mix of modes. bringing new business, especially for our
port installations,” Kunze says.
The hub for the ETS Elbe project is the
river port of Magdeburg. It complements
24
PAGE
EA-78-09-868-EN-C
LIGHTENING THE LOAD
MARCO POLO LEADS THE WAY
Freight transport clogs Europe’s roads. Yet its railways, sea routes and inland waterways are under-
used. Marco Polo is an EU programme designed to promote these environment-friendly modes of
transport and to shift freight from congested roads. In this brochure, a number of companies describe
how, with Marco Polo support, they launched rail, short-sea shipping and inland waterway projects
as greener alternatives for handling freight. Their message is clear. To succeed, their projects had to
make economic as well as ecological sense. Many road transport users hesitate to change modes
without clear economic benefit. Contributors all say projects would have been scaled back or not
launched at all without Marco Polo funding during the critical start-up phase. This helped make the
economic case to customers for a switch to rail, short-sea shipping routes or inland waterways. But
this brochure also shows how Marco Polo support added credibility to projects – a valuable market-
ing tool – and enhanced the green credentials of project participants, another significant benefit.
http://ec.europa.eu/marcopolo
executive agency
EUROPEAN COMMISSION