Maritime transport has always been the backbone of international trade. Presently, the vast
capacity it offers is yet to be exploited, while road transport networks are overcrowded.
Motorways of the Sea (MOS) could become a veritable alternative to congested roads and a
useful way to reduce costs, save energy and improve the environmental impact. The concept
of motorways of the sea aims at introducing new, integrated and intermodal maritime-based
logistics chains with high quality maritime links to connect the limited number of selected
ports that are located at strategic points on European coastlines. In this perspective, the port
should become a real highway, where the goods arrive by trucks or containers, then shipped
without unnecessary delays, while ensuring all maritime safety rules. By providing a regular
and high quality alternative to road transport permitting a massive modal shift of freight traffic
from roads to sea routes, this new logistics chain will bring to a structural change to transport
organization.