Network dynamics in container transport by barge

Abstract

In a time span of twenty years, container transport by barge has acquired a significant share in the hinterland modal split for containers of the load centres Rotterdam and Antwerp. In other European load centres, barge container transport as yet plays a modest role, but the interest in the barge option is growing. The growth in container volumes by barge and the increase of the number of seaports and inland terminals involved go hand in hand with fundamental spatial developments in the European inland terminal network. This paper addresses the organisational changes in the European barging industry that have taken place in the last twenty years and its impact on the spatial dynamics in the European container barge network. The paper analyses structural changes in liner service schedules by barge and the changing functional interdependencies between inland terminals in the network and organizational changes in the industry. The paper will conclude by discussing future perspectives for the spatial development of the barging network.