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North-western European inland shipping broke all records in the past decade, carrying vast quantities
of cargo. Good prospects brought enormous investments to inland shipping, and so the
inland shipping fleet grew, with some of the world's most modern vessels ever being added to its ranks.
Literally hundreds of ships are commissioned from wharfs worldwide every year. As these ships continue
to grow ever larger, they are able to carry greater volumes, sometimes doubling the rate of cargo
turnover. They are easier to load and offload than ever before and navigate waterways more swiftly and
efficiently. These ships constitute the most effective inland fleet worldwide today, a fleet largely in the
hands of Dutch entrepreneurs.
Although the economic crisis of 2008 and 2009 has dealt them a few blows, the growth of their sector is
no fluke, as were the bubbles in other industries, including ICT. The fleet is here, as are the skills and
know-how required to run it effectively. While some small-business owners are still hurting at the moment, a sad fact not to be taken
lightly, a marvellous challenge awaits as the industry passes into the decades ahead, when untold
tonnes of additional cargo will make their way across Europe.
Container shipping is extremely dependent on the business cycle, making it a good indicator for the
general climate in inland shipping. This has become even more true since the explosive growth of inland
container shipping started in the 1980s. André Toet, managing director of the Rotterdam Port Authority,
estimates that 8 million TEU (20-foot equivalent units) of inland shipping cargo will pass through Rotterdam
alone around 2040.
The long-term future for inland shipping looks bright. It is an environmentally sound means of
transport, with fuel economy per tonne carried six times better than that of road haulage.
While lorries are becoming cleaner in response to increasingly strict government regulations, the same
holds true for inland shipping. Sheer economy of scale offers further benefits, enabling inland ships to
carry more cargo per litre of fuel.
In addition, policymakers are beginning to realise that, as quantities of cargo are still growing,
waterborne transport is a good way to alleviate pressure on already congested roads. Concessions
for building container terminals on Maasvlakte 2 were given out on the express condition that a
minimum of 45 per cent of transport to the hinterland would be waterborne.
The Rotterdam Port Authority therefore decided to construct a large inland container terminal in
Alblasserdam, a town several kilometres east of the Port of Rotterdam. This terminal will serve as a
transfer hub for containers arriving on Maasvlakte. Large barges will carry a constant stream of
containers towards Alblasserdam. The hub there will be directly linked to existing rail and road networks
and waterways. (Alblasserdam lies on a tributary of the Rhine.)
Although valuable, the terminal's contribution should not be overstated. André Toet puts it in perspective:
"Inland shipping container cargo volume will increase from two million TEU to eight million TEU. The
250,000 TEU that we expect will be processed by this third container hub will take two per cent of total
traffic off Rotterdam's motorways."
The breakneck pace at which container transport is growing - not only over inland waterways but also over
land and sea - has caused hiccups, or growing pains, at certain bottlenecks, some of which have proven to
be very persistent. Inland container shipping has fallen prey to these developments in recent years
largely because the load schedules of inland ships are hard to combine with the cargo transfers to and
from seagoing vessels, the latter often being carried out on a more impromptu basis.
Meanwhile, to ensure the continued and improved movement of cargo through the Port of Rotterdam,
new and sophisticated technological facilities have been introduced and organisational procedures
adopted. An automated system of barge planning has been incorporated into Portbase, the local
communications system. A combination of continued efforts from all involved, a lot of creative thinking and
the vigour of waterborne transport will ensure that, in the long term, container shipping by inland waterways
will put an end to the traffic gridlock caused by growing transport volumes in Europe.
The recession has done little to diminish the massive long-term potential of inland container shipping.
Photo MGR
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