Mainly on the Elbe River - Central Europe

1 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INTENT AND THE FEASIBILITY
STUDY
1.1 THE FOCUS OF THE STUDY
The feasibility study is focused on measures developed to improve the situation in the logistics
of chemicals (raw materials, products and semi-products) by means of river transportation in
Central and Eastern Europe. The feasibility study was elaborated as one of the outputs of the
ChemLog project. The aim of the study was to evaluate the reasons preventing the higher usage of
the water transport route and to propose measures for improvements. Particular attention was paid
to the part of the Elbe river waterway leading through the territory of the Czech Republic, with
respect to increasing transport safety, reinforcing precautions to protect the environment and
increasing competitiveness of the chemical industry in Central and Eastern Europe.
1.2 BASIC APPROACHES AND SOURCE MATERIALS
In the study, the processor used the experience and knowledge from the field of commodity flow
on the Elbe waterway. To identify and quantify the flow, the data from Czech as well as European
statistics were gathered and the prognosis of commodity flow in the Elbe corridor was elaborated
(in all three transport modes – roads, railways, rivers) in the period up to 2050. Both risks
associated with transportation of chemicals, as well as economic aspects of transport on the Elbe
river were taken into account.
The study is focused on the issue of transporting chemicals in the Czech Republic and in
Germany (as the route of the Elbe river passes through the territory of both countries).
Furthermore, it was necessary to include the world´s major seaports in the Netherlands and
Szczecin-Swinoujscie port in Poland. The Dutch ports are connected with the Elbe route through a
series of canals through Elbe-Seitenkanal, Mittelland Kanal, Dortmund-Ems Kanal, Wesel-Datteln
Kanal (or Thein-Herne Kanal) and the Rhein river, while the port in Szczecin can be reached
through Elbe-Havel Kanal, Havel-Kanal, Hohensaaten-Friedrichtshaler Wasserstrasse a Westoder.
The commodity flow to and from the ports of Hamburg, Bremenhaven, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and
Szczecin were studied.
A feasibility study for “Improvement of Conditions for the River Transport in Central Europe (mainly on the Elbe
River)“ realized within the ChemLog project 8