Winners of Intermodal Award for best-practices 2009

announced at Gala Reception ASEM Transport Ministers’ Meeting /Asia-Europe Transport Development Forum

Procter & Gamble and JSC Lithuanian Railways were announced as the winners of the 9th annual European “Intermodal Award” for best practices competition. Mrs. Silvia Bartolini (Cabinet Vice President Antonio TAJANI, EU Commission) and Mr. Deividas MATULIONIS (Chancellor of Prime Ministers‟ Office, Lithuania) handed over the specially commissioned bronze Trophies to Eric LAENES (P&G) and Mr. Stasys DAILYDKA (JSC). The ceremony took place during a Gala reception at the Asia-Europe Transport Development Forum, parallel organised alongside the first Asia-Europe Transport Ministers’ Meeting, gathering numerous transport ministers from EU and Asia states in the Baltic, Vilnius, 19 October 2009.

Conceived and developed by the EIA, the Awards have been launched to stimulate concrete and innovative intermodal transport solutions and to recognise best practice in intermodal transport and freight logistics.
Jury members included representatives of the European Commission, European Parliament, CER, CLECAT, EIA, ESC, FEPI and UIC. The key judging criteria for services or equipment were to be innovative, intermodal and market-led. The jury meeting is moreover a symbolic gathering of „Brussels‟ transport associations under one wide-ranging intermodal umbrella, as example for all stakeholders involved, that transport modes should collaborate, being partner or competitor in the logistic chain, sharing common intermodal freight interests: fair conditions for all modes, improved interoperability, smart use of infrastructures etc.

„Winning elements‟ regarding the application of P&G “TINA” ‘Trains Intermodality; a New Approach’ in cooperation with P&O Ferrymasters were that apart from economical argumentations, TINA also takes environmental and social aspects into consideration, without giving in on quality or price aspects. For the whole transport network, costs and overall transit times have been better or equal to road alternatives. Quote of Mr. Laenens who accepted the Award: „we strongly believe that intermodality offers major opportunities in Europe. It is therefore our objective that by 2015, 30% of our volumes are shipped by intermodal freight, instead of by road only.
Winning elements within the JSC Lithuanian Railways case “Combined transport train ‘VIKING’ in cooperation with Belorussian and Ukrainian railways was the first successful long term market implementation of a (combined transport) shuttle train connecting countries of the EU and CIS from the Baltic to the Black Sea, carrying containers and semi-trailers just within 52 hours (1.700 KM). „VIKING‟ should be regarded as best practice example within the TRACECA, XL Crete and East-West transport corridors, furthermore the AEO concept including swift and modern cross border documentation operations with customs.

EIA has early taken the „smart & sustainable‟ transport orientation and feels highly gratified that this progressive thinking is increasingly recognized in policy and practice.

Links to the Application files: Procter & Gamble / JSC Lithuanian Railways

Left to right: Mr. Deividas Matulionis (Chancellor Prime Ministers‟ Office); Mr. Laptinski Uladzimir (First Deputy of Head of Belorussian Railway); Mr. Kostiuk Mykhailo (General Director Ukrainian Railways); Mr. Stasys Dailydka (General Director Lithuanian Railways); Mark Mulder (Commercial Director P&O Ferrymasters); Eric Laenens (Purchasing Group Manager – Europe); Sergio Barbarino (Principal Engineer, Process Breakthrough P&G/R&D).

Marco Sorgetti (Clecat); Livio Ambrogio discussing Smart-CM

United Nations, Economic Commission for Europe; FIATA; COSCO; Qingdao Port Group , Ambrogio Trasporti (President EIA).

Mrs. Silvia Bartolini (Cabinet Vice President Antonio TAJANI, EU Commission) and Klaus Ebeling (EIA) handing over EIA Award.