Government and sector are working together on the inland shipping of the future | News item

News item | 11-30-2022 | 11:55

Inland shipping is responsible for no less than 35 percent of all freight transport in the Netherlands, and will only become more important in the coming years. At the same time, the sector faces major challenges: a sustainability challenge, the consequences of climate change and digitization are good examples of this. With the Future Vision for inland shipping, Minister Mark Harbers presents an integrated approach for the coming decades.

More transport from road to water

To prevent the busy road network from becoming even more congested in the coming years, the government is focusing on more water transport. This so-called ‘modal shift’ can not only reduce the growth of road transport, but is also an important step in combating climate change. Compared to freight transport by road, inland shipping emits considerably less CO2.

Reliable waterways

The waterways are affected by the consequences of climate change. In recent years, the effects of drought in the summer have been felt in inland shipping. The cabinet is allocating billions for maintenance and upkeep, but that alone is not enough. To keep our waterways suitable for inland shipping in the future, climate adaptation is something that must be structurally taken into account. Rijkswaterstaat is therefore investigating the
effects of climate change on the waterways, such as flooding, drought and flooding.

Zero-emission inland shipping

The Netherlands has agreed with other countries to strive for climate-neutral inland shipping by 2050, with virtually no emissions of harmful substances. This is going to cost a lot of money. To make the European inland shipping fleet emission-free, 5 to 10 billion euros is needed and the sector cannot bear that alone. That is why there are subsidy schemes from the government, for example for the replacement of old engines or the installation of an electric drive motor. The Temporary Subsidy Scheme for Making Inland Shipping Vessels Sustainable will be expanded in 2023.

Digitization

By further digitizing, inland shipping can work even more efficiently and safely in the future, with less administrative burden and with reliable delivery times. Innovative concepts such as autonomous transport, artificial intelligence and blockchain offer inland shipping a huge opportunity to contribute to a smart (and green) transport system.

Together towards the future

The ministry is working with the sector to prepare inland shipping for the future. It is important to realize that some solutions have to be sought together with other countries, because inland shipping is pre-eminently an internationally operating sector.

The ministry wants to develop a joint action agenda together with all relevant parties. It should be ready in the first quarter of 2023.

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