The project fully aligns with the European Union’s objectives to develop efficient and less polluting transport corridors, in line with the Green Deal
Nantes – The maritime axis between western France and northern Spain is at the center of renewed attention with the concrete prospect of reactivating the Motorway of the Sea connecting the port of Nantes Saint-Nazaire with Gijón (Asturias). The potential reopening of this route, historically conceived to alleviate heavy traffic on the road corridors through the Pyrenees, represents a strong signal towards logistic sustainability and the revival of cross-border infrastructure cooperation. The original project, launched in the 2000s as a European pilot initiative, aimed to transfer thousands of heavy vehicles from road to sea, reducing environmental impact and congestion. Although the initial services, supported by partnerships including the Louis Dreyfus Armateurs and Grimaldi groups, had started as early as 2009, the route later encountered operational and commercial difficulties that led to its interruption.
Today, the economic and climate context requires a strategic reassessment of the Motorways of the Sea, seen as essential solutions for the decarbonization of the transport sector. The reopening of the line between Nantes, Saint-Nazaire and Gijón fully aligns with the European Union’s objectives to develop efficient and less polluting transport corridors, in line with the Green Deal.
Sources close to the port authorities indicate that the current revival proposal focuses on providing a regular Ro-Ro service, based on new generation ships, potentially powered by LNG or other low-emission fuels, to maximize the ecological advantage of modal transfer. The initial target volume is to capture at least 15-20% of the freight flow that currently transits by land between the Loire region and northern Spain.
