Inland navigation is the transport mode for the future. You come to that conclusion when you have a look at the trump cards of waterways.

A vast waterways network

Navigable waterways in Flanders extend for 1375 kilometres, of which 1076 km are used for professional navigation. These figures correspond to one of the densest river and canal networks in the whole world. By contrast to the road network, inland waterways still enjoy a considerable reserve capacity. Inland navigation is able to contribute to the improvement of our overall mobility, by picking up part of the traffic increase that is forecasted on our roads.

Accessibility

Flemish inland waterways are located at the crossing of the major European trade routes, at the centre of the north-south link and at the beginning of the west-east axis. In addition, 80 percent of all Flemish companies are located at less than 10 km from a navigable waterway. The accessibility of the 30.000 km spanning European waterways network, is even more enhanced by the construction of quay-walls, which are truly an interface between road and waterway.

Environmentally friendly

A 1350 tonnes barge is consuming four to seven times less fuel than a road truck. With only 5 litres of fuel, an inland barge can transport one tonne of cargo over a full 500 km.

Inexpensive

Since inland navigation infrastructure is intensively used, this mode of transport enjoys a much lower cost than railway or road transport. Per kilometre of infrastructure, some 3,5 million tonnes of cargo are transported on a waterway.

Versatile

A big variety of people can use inland waterways. Infrastructure allows for a versatile use, meaning that costs can be shared by a variety of users. Besides the primary use as a mode of transport, inland waterways are instrumental in recreation, water supply, water management, fight against flooding, production of hydropower, etc.

Speed and on time

Inland navigation is sometimes perceived as a "slow" mode of transport. However, when transported volumes are taken into account, a completely different picture comes to mind. In less than 24 hours, inland navigation can transport more than 50.000 tonnes from Antwerp to Liege. No other mode of transport even comes close to this speed. In fact, it is not speed itself but reliability and expected time of arrival that matter for a company.

 Safety

Although an ever-increasing volume of dangerous goods is transported, inland navigation remains a safe mode of transport. One of the reasons is that passenger traffic on inland waterways is almost completely separated from transport of goods. Inland navigation barges are specialized vessels, complying with very strict regulations. In addition, skippers are well trained and have attended refresher courses in the field of transport of specific cargo.

High tech

If you ever visited the bridge of a modern inland barge, you will have noticed how big a role information- and communication technology is playing in today's inland navigation. Every little gadget is available: mobile phones, wireless Internet access on the water, the use of GPRS and High Speed Data, and electronic navigation charts. Together with public authorities, inland navigation is an active partner in several European projects of River Information Services (RIS).

Innovation and increase of scale

Inland navigation is investing and innovating. New types of vessels are developed for transporting new types of cargo. In the past years, an average of one new inland barge per month was commissioned in Belgium. Older vessels were modernized at the same time. In the past decade, the number of inland barges has decreased, but deadweight capacity has increased. Dry cargo barges perform 20 percent better than eight years ago, and tankers are on average 18 percent bigger than barely seven years ago.

The skipper: a professional

Skill, training and refresher courses guarantee the high standards of inland navigation. Skippers and crew are fully informed about the regulations that deal with dangerous goods, or to sail on very busy waterways such as the Rhine. In the general framework of traceability and quality assurance, an increasing number of inland navigation cargo is meeting the standards of "Good Manufacturing Practice."

Source:  Promotion Inland Navigation Flanders, http://www.binnenvaart.be