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This contribution investigates the economic benefits of using weather ship routing on Short Sea Shipping (SSS) activities. The investigation is supported with the development of a ship routing system based on pathfinding algorithms, the parametrization of the wave effect on navigation and using high-resolution meteo-oceanographic predictions. The optimal ship routing analysis is investigated in a European SSS system: the link between Spanish and Italian ports. The results show the economic benefits using ship routing in SSS during energetic wave episodes. The rate of costs savings may reach the 15% of the total costs under particular bad weather conditions in the navigation area. The work establishes the basis of further developments in optimal route applied in relatively short-distances and its systematic use in the SSS maritime industry.

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Local air pollution is the most relevant externality of maritime transport and its effects are more acute in urban areas as a result of manoeuvring, hoteling, and load/unload activities at ports. This paper is intended to assess ships' local air pollution impact in generally densely populated harbor areas, in order to decide whether or not alternative power supply measures are feasible. First, an optimized infrastructure investment model is developed to ease implementation and maximize the efficiency of alternative power supply projects. Once target harbors and traffic (ship types) within a national port network have been chosen, a vessel traffic analysis (ship type, tonnage, manoeuvring and hoteling times) is carried out to quantify and evaluate annual polluting emissions (PM 2,5 , SO 2 , NOx and VOC-s) and their externalities. Finally, the assessment model is applied and results of the Spanish port network case study are discussed. The results obtained are significant and bring the possibility of further controlling the ship's environmental performance at berth.

According to the mid-term review of the EU White Paper on Transport, short sea shipping is expected to grow at a rate of 59% in metric tonnes, from 2000 to 2020. If we consider that the overall expected growth in freight exchanges is of some 50%, sea transport is one of the most feasible ways to reduce traffic congestion on European roads. High speed vessels are a possible way to compete with road transport on certain routes ; however, these ships are highly affected by heavy weather. This paper analyses the weather influence on several short sea shipping routes to be served by fast ships.K E Y W O R D S 1. Short sea shipping.2. Fast ships. 3. Significant wave height.