{"id":2674,"date":"2026-02-16T10:37:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T09:37:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ctdoesburg.nl\/geen-onderdeel-van-een-categorie\/vervoer-over-water-vs-wegtransport\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T11:28:48","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T10:28:48","slug":"vervoer-over-water-vs-wegtransport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ctdoesburg.nl\/en\/blog\/vervoer-over-water-vs-wegtransport\/","title":{"rendered":"Transport by water: a better alternative to road transport?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Rising transport costs, stricter sustainability regulations, and increasing pressure on delivery reliability are forcing companies to rethink their logistics choices. While road transport has been the standard for years, interest in water transport as an alternative is growing. But when is water transport actually a better option, and when is it not?<\/strong><\/p>

In this article, we compare water transport and road transport based on three crucial factors: costs, CO\u2082 emissions, and delivery reliability. This will give you insight into when which mode of transport makes sense within your logistics chain.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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What do we mean by water transport?\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Water transport refers to the transport of goods via rivers and canals using inland vessels, also known as barges. Inland shipping plays a central role in the Netherlands: an efficient network connecting seaports with inland terminals and industrial regions.<\/p>

In practice, this often involves transport by water in combination with road transport, also known as multimodal transport<\/a>. Goods are transported by ship over long distances and cover the first or last few kilometers by truck. This combination provides economies of scale and flexibility within the logistics chain.<\/p>

In this article, we focus specifically on container flows, as these are most relevant to regional producers and shippers. Increasing traffic congestion, rising costs, and new sustainability obligations such as CSRD are making this form of transport increasingly relevant.<\/p>

Transport by water is thus becoming less of an alternative for \u201clater\u201d and more of a serious option in daily logistics practice.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Why companies hesitate between water transport and road transport\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The choice between water and road transport requires careful consideration and is not straightforward. Discussions with regional producers and logistics planners consistently reveal the same concerns.<\/p>

Reliability and delivery time<\/h3>

A commonly held belief is that container transport by ship is automatically slower than road transport. This raises questions, especially when delivery times are tight. In practice, the lead time depends heavily on volumes, sailing schedules, and the structure of the chain. With fixed, well-planned flows, water transport can actually be very predictable.<\/p>

Flexibility and planning<\/h3>

Whereas a truck can easily be deployed on an ad hoc basis, transport by water operates on fixed sailing schedules. This requires advance planning and leaves less room for last-minute changes. For production environments with varying volumes, this can feel like a limitation, but at the same time it provides more structure and overview in the chain.<\/p>

Lack of awareness of possibilities<\/h3>

Lack of awareness also plays a role. Many companies do not know when water transport is suitable or how multimodal transport, the combination of water and road, works in practice. As a result, water transport is sometimes unjustifiably overlooked.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The advantages of water transport compared to road transport\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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When used correctly, water transport offers clear advantages over road transport. Not only in terms of sustainability, but also in terms of cost control and predictability. For companies with fixed goods flows, water transport can be a structural and stable part of the logistics chain.<\/p>

Costs: when water transport is cheaper<\/h3>

Water transport is basically the most cost-efficient form of transport per ton-kilometer, because large volumes are bundled together. Inland vessels transport large quantities of containers at once, which means that the costs per ton-kilometer are lower than for road transport, especially over medium and longer distances.<\/p>

The extent to which this advantage is also visible in the total supply chain depends on factors such as distance, volume, urgency, and the organization of pre- and post-transport. This makes it financially attractive to transport both medium and large structural volumes by water. In addition, inland shipping is less sensitive to rising fuel prices and driver shortages, which makes costs more manageable and predictable.<\/p>

CO\u2082 emissions: structurally lower than road transport<\/h3>

Inland shipping has significantly lower CO\u2082 emissions per tonne-kilometer<\/a> than road transport, because large volumes can be transported with relatively few engines.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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When is water transport a logical alternative?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTransport by water is not the best choice in every situation, but in the right context it can be a strong and future-proof part of the logistics chain. The following situations show when transport by water works well in practice:\n