It called for a European rail network that would prioritise freight as well as measures to prepare ports for increasing demand and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot told a news conference he favoured creating a single maritime area within the 27-nation bloc, which would do away with repetitive customs checks at ports.

Satellite technologies would help track shipping to ensure vessels do not leave EU waters before checking in at another European port, making it easier to skip customs controls.

"Thanks to these positioning technologies we can monitor boats and we can do that very efficiently," he said.

He also said paperwork should be reduced so goods can move more freely and called for streamlining of rules in different countries about the length and weight of trains that are allowed to pass through national borders.