Coastal shipping has played and continues to play a crucial role in the cohesion of Greece. From a geographical dimension, it is the "bridge" that connects the mainland with the islands, creating the maritime highways. From an economic and social dimension, it has a decisive impact on the level of economic development, especially in terms of population and the attractiveness of island destinations, creating new opportunities for development, establishment, and improvement of quality of life.
These factors also explain the long-standing involvement of the state and the mobilization of social partners regarding the operational framework of coastal shipping. Efforts to address the "coastal issue" have been, unfortunately, focused on the perception that it is a problem of ship management rather than the development of an integrated system of island transportation. The deficiencies are particularly evident in issues of recording, clarification, and determination of the necessary level of island service.
In the process of developing the transportation system in island Greece, the logic of public good, which requires uninterrupted provision of transportation services, clashes in various ways with the logic of the economic sustainability of a service. Taking into account the given intense seasonality of demand in various island areas, the conflict between these two perceptions becomes even more complicated.
This study records and analyzes the existing situation of transportation in the island area and sets the conditions for the formation of an integrated and realistic proposal of institutional and operational character, in order to ensure the provision of reliable transportation services.