Inland Waterway Transport System
In this section you will learn more about the inland waterway transport system and
its different elements goods, vessels, inland waterways and ports.
This topic follows the structure of the conceptual system model of
transport and traffic.
7. Summary
Since inland waterway transport is not as distinctive as transport by
other modes, it may be interesting to know what speaks in favor of
inland waterway transport and what speaks against it.
What speaks for the transport by inland vessels are the low transport costs and CO2-emissions. Compared to trucks, inland vessels can cover further distances with a much larger transport capacity. This makes them very efficient and could even relieve the roads and rails.
The
popularity of inland waterway vessels suffers greatly from the
infrastructure. Ships are tied to the waterways and need terminals with
appropriate facilities to reach their destinations. In addition, the
transport is dependent on the prevailing water levels and the long
transport time makes it hardly competitive.
Some more reasons for and against inland waterway transport are listed below.
Some more reasons for and against inland waterway transport are listed below.
Reasons for inland waterway transport
- high single loading weights
- large transport capacity (economy of scale - high efficiency)
- processing of heavy goods traffic
- punctuality (no congestion) and reliability
- usually year-round navigability (365 days a year)
- wide range of special ships
- low transport costs
- safety transport
- environmentally friendly transport
- spare capacities
Reasons against inland waterway transport
- no complete area coverage
- without own mooring place increased costs due to broken transport chains
- dependence on water level, ice drift and fog
- long transportation time
- inertia/backwardness in the system itself e.g. outdated technology
Literature
Nuhn, H.; Hesse, M. (2006): Verkehrsgeographie, Schöningh Verlag, Paderborn.
Schulte, C. (1991): Logistik. Wege zur Optimierung des Material- und Informationsflusses. Verlag Franz Vahlen, München. pp. 64-65.
Wannenwetsch H.H. (2008): Transportsysteme. In: Intensivtraining Produktion, Einkauf, Logistik und Dienstleistung. Gabler, Wiesbaden.