Inland navigation on Flemish waterways recovered in 2024

Inland navigation on the Flemish waterways experienced a recovery in 2024, after a sharp decline the year before. This was announced on Wednesday by Flemish Waterways, which operates the navigable waterways in Flanders.
In total, barges transported 66.1 million tonnes of goods last year, close to a 5 per cent increase compared to 2023. That year, due to the generally unfavourable economic climate and strikes by lock keepers, tonnage fell to 63 million tonnes. In the five years before 2023, between 68.1 and 72.1 million tonnes passed through the Flemish waterways.
The number of twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) stabilised at 742,689, thanks to an 8 per cent increase in the fourth quarter. This result is still a quarter lower than in 2021, when barges in Flanders transported more than 1 million containers.
Strong Q4 results
Flemish Waterways is optimistic that inland transport will be able to reach pre-2023 results again this year, thanks to the fourth quarter of 2024. During this period, the tonnage transported increased by more than a fifth, "the strongest quarterly increase since 2016," according to Flemish minister for Mobility Annick De Ridder.
Fertilisers, industrial products, petroleum products and ores were the main drivers of inland waterways transport in 2024, while solid fuels experienced a sharp decline. The Albert canal, which connects Antwerp with Liège, remained by far the most important axis for inland transport in Flanders.
'Stable and reliable'
"Despite a difficult economic climate with geopolitical tensions and high energy and labour costs, inland navigation remains a stable and reliable transport solution," said Krista Maes, head of Flemish Waterways.
"Transport via rivers and canals is seamlessly linked to our ports, the engine of our economy"
De Ridder also sees potential for growth and plans to start consultations with the sector to see how inland navigation can be improved in Flanders. "Transport via rivers and canals is seamlessly linked to our ports, the engine of our economy," she said on Wednesday.
Flanders is already investing in inland navigation. For example, the first drop lock in mainland Europe is being built in Ghent, and should open in 2027. The region is also working with the Netherlands to improve access to its ports.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND
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