The European Commission introduced a pilot project that is aimed to reduce administrative duties to those vessels carrying out shipments to or from EU ports. The purpose behind such ambitious project is to lift national borders within the European maritime area in the near future.
Indeed, Marine transport has since time immemorial served as an important channel of economic growth throughout Europe. In recent years, the European maritime industry has been identified as a significant resource of employment and income for the economy of European member states. Forty per cent of intra-EU maritime transport consists of short sea shipping generally referring to marine transportation which applies inland and coastal waterways to ship commercial freight.
Given the high percentage comprised by short sea shipping, the project, baptized blue belt, and carried under the auspices of the European Maritime Safety Agency, will observe ship transport while allowing data exchange between member states. This way, local authorities will identify and distinguish between vessels that are specifically used for intra-EU trade and other ships. Such vessels shall benefit from certain advantages namely reduced communication with port authorities at the port of call and more expeditious customs clearance.
