ABSTRACT
ESPOmar Project, co-financed by INTERREG POCTEP 2014–2020 program of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) together with the Spanish Universities of Cadiz and Huelva, Portuguese University of Algarve and Andalusian Agency of Public Ports, is a cooperation research network aimed at the theoretical design of a new sustainable cross-border maritime transport system for the Gulf of Cadiz, helping to conserve and protect the environment, promote sustainable development and protect the natural and cultural heritage of the fluvial coastal and maritime area, especially the National Park of Doñana which has been threatened on the last decades by the installation of high capacity highways. The main challenge of ESPOMAR project is to analyze the real demand of such a transport system, and optimize the design of specific ferries that may compete with the stablished land transport system in terms of speed, safety and comfort, reducing emissions and assuring the economic viability of potential maritime lines. On the other hand, ESPOmar project is also trying to stablish the interest that this kind of transport system could have for tourist population, not only in terms of improving their mobility, but also for increasing their leisure offer with an attractive new way of connecting tourist areas in such a way that passengers are able to admire the wild fauna, the fantastic beautiful coast and natural environment of the Gulf of Cadiz. The aim of this paper presented is to introduce ESPOmar Project in an international forum, to show the first results and conclusions of our research study and receive comments and inputs from the scientific community.
