Maritime Trade and Transport - HWWI

6.1.2 Comparing modes of transport: Environmental issues vs. flexibility
Inland waterway transport57 compares most favorably by far with road and rail transport,
considering environmental and cost aspects (see also Volume 1, Chapter 4.5). The economic
and ecological advantages are shown by the following comparisons58 :
A pusher unit can transport 16,000 t of bulk goods with six pusher tugs. 650 trucks or 400
railroad cars would be needed for this amount.
A kilogram of fuel can transport 127 tons 1 kilometer by ship, but only 50 tons 1 kilometer
by truck and 97 tons 1 kilometer by railroad.
Whereas a truck needs 4.1 l of diesel per 100 ton-kilometers, inland waterway shipping
only requires 1.3 liters, and rail transport 1.7 l.
While inland waterway shipping shows a specific final energy consumption of 464 kJ/
tkm, the comparable figure for road transport is 2,290, and for the railroad a comparably
modest 566.
While inland waterway shipping generates CO2 emissions of 33.4 g/tkm, this figure for
road transport is 164 and for the railroad 48.
Inland waterway shipping is also the absolute winner in regard to noise and safety. This wealth
of advantages is, however, countered by a number of disadvantages. In addition to the low network
density, these include:
Dependence on bridge clearance heights and widths, as well as the size and capacities of the
locks and canal ship lifts that must be passed through.
The low transport speed. A motor freighter with 2000 t of cargo needs a good six days to travel
from Linz to Antwerp, while a truck traveling at a speed of 80 kph needs only 12 hours.
The extreme dependence on nature, primarily the water level. An insufficient water level during
an extreme summer dry period, for example, can cause considerable delays or even cancellations
of transports, as happened recently on the Elbe during the record summer of 2006.
In view of the ongoing climate change, the subject of low water levels is likely to be of increasing
concern in the future and will create additional barriers to the expansion of waterborne
transport at the latest during the second half of our forecast period. The climate change will not
only be characterized by extreme drought, however, but also by flooding, so that inland waterway
shipping may forfeit its reliability, or the cost argument per ship may become less convincing.
The advantages of the road transport of merchandise lie clearly in its speed and
flexibility. Especially in an era characterized by delivery at increasingly shorter notice (just in
time) and more “door to door” services, this point will play an ever greater role for reasons
of competition and cost in the coming years.
57 In Germany, merchandise volumes of up to 240 mn t, with a transport capacity of 60 to 65 bn ton-kilometers,
are currently being transported annually. This is equivalent to almost 90% of the freight volume transported
by the railroads or approximately 14 mn truckloads. Over 50% of the goods that are transported are raw
materials, primarily stones and earth, as well as construction materials.
58 See Bundesverband der Deutschen Binnenschifffahrt (2006).
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