Project in brief The development of maritime transport and logistics sector in the Mediterranean still needs to be improved in order to ensure more efficient and sustainable trade relations between the northern and south-eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. In this context and by means of a virtual logistics platform structured around the ports of Porto Torres (Italy) and Beirut (Lebanon), OPTIMED project will promote new opportunities, facilities, tools and skills leading to the enhancement of commercial connections amongst public and private operators in Lebanon, Italy, Spain and France. The seven actors part of the project will also develop new tools (such as the organization of business meetings and the promotion of short sea shipping) thus contributing to a more efficient transport and logistics model, characterized by better delivery times of freight and consequently by a greater competitiveness. Specific objective To optimize the maritime trade network between the northern shores of the high Tyrrhenian arc and the southern-eastern shores of the Mediterranean sea, creating an innovative virtual logistics platform structured around ports trengthened as Ro-Ro* hubs Expected Results: • New identified opportunities for economic operators and institutions between the northern shores of the High Tyrrhenian arc and the southeastern shores of the Mediterranean sea • Planned interventions to the port infrastructures of Porto Torres and Beirut in order to improve their performance as Ro-Ro hubs in the framework of the freight shipping network • A more efficient process of shifting freight started, based on the implementation of the virtual platform supporting the new optimized maritime trade network • Target groups and stakeholders stimulated to develop new business relationships based on the opportunities of new optimized maritime trade network