More containers and less sand shipped on inland water ways

The transport of sand and gravel by Dutch inland shipping fell by 35 percent to 36 million tonnes between 2001 and 2005. At the same time container transport increased by 15 percent. About 747 thousand twenty foot equivalent units (TEU) were shipped on Dutch inland waterways in 2005.

Road transport versus inland shipping

Between 2001 and 2005 the total weight transported by Dutch inland shipping fell by over 12 percent to 95 million tonnes. Domestic goods transport by road, on the other hand, increased by almost 13 percent in the period 2001-2004 to almost 530 million tonnes. This rise continued in 2005.

Less sand and gravel

About 45 percent of the weight transported in Dutch inland shipping (43 million tonnes) consists of raw materials and construction materials, mostly sand and gravel ((36 million tonnes). Because sand and gravel are relatively heavy products, a drop in the transport of these products has a relatively hefty influence on the total weight transported in de inland shipping.
Sand and gravel are mainly used in the first phase of infrastructural projects. When this phase ended for two main railway projects (Betuwelijn and HSL), demand and transported weight dipped. There was also less transport of sand and gravel by road.

Dutch inland shipping

Increase in container transport

Container transport by sea to the Netherlands went up by 37 percent between 2001 and 2004, reaching 4.3 million TEU. This rise continued in 2005. Dutch inland shipping did not increase as much as that: shipping increased by 15 percent to about 747 thousand TEU in the period 2001-2005.

Container transport by inland shipping

Rob Willems