| The principal objective of REALISE is to develop European strategies and initiatives to promote the use of short sea shipping, sea-river shipping and inland navigation in the context of the overall logistics market, particularly for the carriage of unitised cargoes, ensuring a shift in freight transport from land to water in a multi-modal context. The intention of REALISE is also to demonstrate that the expansion of waterborne transport will include benefits from reductions in fuel use; reduced environmental damage and road congestion; an improvement in the overall safety of the European transport system; the promotion of sustainable technologies in the waterborne transport sector, and intra-European economic and social cohesion. REALISE will aim to identify and bridge the gap between RTD and industrial needs to ensure the effective integration of waterborne transport in multi-modal transport chains and the identification of technological gaps where further RTD is required. |