Short-sea shipping could solve the US traffic problem and offer a environmentally friendly transport, according to a new report.

The US-based Institute for Global Maritime Studies has written a report entitled How Coastal Shipping Could Reduce Traffic Congestion, Lower Pollution, and Bolster National Security. It explores the potential for coastal shipping as part of the United States' transportation network.

"Our country’s current freight transportation system, previously reliant on cheap fuel and uncongested interstate highway and freight rail networks, must adapt to a new operating environment with increasing traffic congestion and fluctuating fuel prices," the report said in its introduction.

Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund has hailed the report as a "revolutionary report, which shows that in many cases the greenest and cheapest way to ship goods is by sea, not by land."

The report's co-author Dr Rockford Weitz notes that although the estimated air emissions benefits from increased coastal shipping varies greatly by fuel type, vessel design, and cruising speed, short-sea shipping could help the US achieve its future greenhouse gas (GHG) emission target.

"An inland barge enjoys 576 tonne-miles to the gallon, compared to 155 on a truck and 413 on a train. From a greenhouse gas emissions perspective, many US coastal shipping operations offer substantial savings," the report said.

Weitz recommends introducing a number of short-sea shipping routes to the US Northeast, using the James River short-sea route between Hampton Roads and Richmond in Virginia as an example.

As of next month, the James River Barge Line, will carry up to 60, 40-foot-long freight boxes a week between Norfolk International Terminals and Richmond. It is hoped that this number will increase to 600 containers a week within the next three years.

Weitz believes the same can be achieved in many Northeastern ports. He envisions coastal shipping ports among Boston, Fall River and New Bedford, Mass.; Providence and Quonset Point, R.I.; and New London, New Haven and Bridgeport.

"Although the deep blue highway is not a panacea, it would certainly help ease traffic congestion along America’s coastal freight routes," said Weitz

Adding that "alternative marine fuels already available in the marketplace, such as natural gas and ultra low sulphur diesel, have the potential to make coastal shipping the greenest of all transportation modes."