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The Role of Short Sea Shipping Concept in Black Sea Region as a Connection between Eurasian Transport Systems



Author(s)

Ivo VeselinovYotsov

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DOI:10.17265/2328-2142/2019.06.002

NikolaVaptsarov Naval Academy, 73 VasilDrumevStr.,Varna 9026, Bulgaria

Despite of fluctuations in world trade as a result of economic cycles, the evolution of the political processes remains the trend of sustained growth of trade flows. This ends up in a rise in both the demand for logistics services and the requirements for them. In this sense, the critically important is the strategic development of the transport systems as a support for the improvement of competitive logistics.An important aspect is the promotion of multimodal transport, which in search of the best transport solutions will reduce the use of relatively expensive and environmentally unfriendly road transportation. This will be at the expense of the efficient combination of different modes in which the concept of short sea shipping (SSS) occupies a central place. Although this concept is widely applied in many places in the Black Sea, it still has significant potential. It was prompted by stagnation in economic relations as a result of political and economic crises in the region since the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. To evaluate the potential of the concept in the development of transport is done research on intermodal logistics network in the logistics corridor Central Asia-Central Europe. To optimize intermodal transport links a comparative analysis of the various transport alternatives on the route Tehran-Budapest is done. On this basis it is made optimization assessment on three main criteria—cost, delivery time and environmental protection and basic recommendations on strategic planning development of the Bulgarian transport infrastructure are given.An essential aspect is the encouragement of multimodal transportation, which in looking for the best transport solutions can cut back the utilization of comparatively costly and environmentally harmful road transportation. This would be at the expense of the adequate combination of different modes of transportation in which the concept of SSS has a fundamental area. Despite this concept is widely applied in various regions, in the Black Sea it still has an important future due to stagnation in economic relations as a result of political confrontations and economic crises within the region since the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. To assess the capability of the concept in the development of transport is done research on intermodal logistics network in the logistics corridor Central Asia-Central Europe. To improve intermodal transport links a comparative analysis of the various transport options on the routes Astana-Budapest and Tehran-Budapest are made. On this basis it is proposed an optimization assessment on three main criteria—cost, delivery time and environmental protection, and fundamental suggestions on strategic development of the Bulgarian transport infrastructure are proposed.

SSS concept, multimodal transportation, intermodal transportation, transport route optimization.