Decision support system to design feasible high-frequency Motorways of the Sea: A new perspective for public commitment

ABSTRACTThe implementation of Motorways of the Sea (MoS) within the framework of European Union aid programs experiences a period of relative stagnation. This article analyzes the suitability of current short-term nonrepayable subsidy policy and develops a decision support system (DSS) that allows a medium- and long-term feasibility analysis of MoS proposals. One significant conclusion drawn from the application of the proposed DSS to a prototypical high-frequency MoS provides that the period of initial losses prior to achievement of both modal shift and accounting profits might last 10 years. Moreover, the entire duration of the period that includes prior objectives as well as the recoveri…