Full speed ahead
Germany’s inland navigation industry is finally making its voice heard in politics. Now the country’s transport ministry has drawn up a master plan to bring the long-neglected mode of transport up to speed.
In 2018 German inland navigation had to contend with low water levels in rivers and, as a result, declining freight volumes. A sense of optimism thus comes at just the right time for the industry. The German transport ministry recently presented a master plan for inland navigation which should form the basis for making this long-neglected mode of transport fit for the future. Transport minister Andreas Scheuer underlined the fact that “barges with capacities to carry 3,000 t can provide the services of around 150 trucks. We must exploit this enormous potential.”
Focus on the Ruhr Basin
An important point in favour of inland navigation is that it still has reserves. This master plan comprises various short and medium-term measures in five fields of action, including infrastructure, which is often outdated. 20% of all locks were built before 1900, for example. EUR 24.5 billion has been earmarked for the inland waterways as part of a package called the federal transport route plan 2030, through which Germany is set to renew its transport infrastructure.
The fact that progress has been slow so far has been due to a lack of planning resources. This is where the master plan wants to start out, and push ahead with planning measures. For the time being, the focus will be on projects in the Ruhr Basin area, where the majority of German inland navigation activities take place.
New engines; shore-to-ship electricity
Although inland navigation is often seen as a mode of transport that goes easier on the environment, it has some catching up to do. Fleets are outdated and the fitting of modern engines has been slow. Here, too, the ministry wants to provide funds to accelerate modernisation efforts. In addition, it wants to promote investment in shore-side power plants and the abolition of navigation fees – which has already been decided (with exceptions on the Moselle river and the Kiel Canal).
Digitalisation is another a focal point of the 32-page master plan. Electronic maps of the waterways and digital lock reservations are amongst the medium-term measures. In the short term, the state will continue to support existing initiatives to inter- link inland barges.
Tap heavylift’s potential
All of these measures will not help much if there is nothing to transport, however. The master plan therefore specifically mentions heavy goods transport as one field with a great potential. Most heavylift cargo is currently transported by road. The plan aims to encourage cooperation with other logistics players to ensure that inland navigation is taken into account in the early stages of the planning for such transport tasks.
And last but not least, the ministry has also addressed the issue of youngsters joining the shrinking guild of inland waterway hauliers. This also aims at closer collaboration between logistics professions.
