Inland waterway transport and the integrated logistics system

The paper presents the causes of the decline in inland waterway transport in Poland between 1965 and 2002, which have not yet been resolved. In Western Europe, inland waterway transport is perceived as an attractive mode for transporting bulk, containerized, and general cargo due to its low costs, environmental protection, and developed canal system. Against the backdrop of Europe, Poland is a blank spot on the map, hence the need for investment in river ports as multimodal logistics centers serving integrated logistics systems, where a hub of maritime, inland, rail, and road transport exists.

Multimodal logistics centers function perfectly in Western Europe. Examples in Poland include the operations of Śląskie Centrum Logistyczne S.A. and the “Odratrans” S.A. Capital Group. The paper defines the role of inland waterway transport for integrated logistics systems and the directions of change in the coming years.

Poland, as a country with a well-developed river network compared to Europe, has a small share of river transport in total freight transport. Located in the center of Europe, one can put forward the thesis that by lacking navigable canals, we are hindering inland transport from West to East. In practice, containers unloaded at the port of Rotterdam from the Far East could be transported due to low costs by inland waterway from the Netherlands, through Germany to Poland. Unfortunately, navigable canals end at the Polish border near Cedynia and in Eisenhüttenstadt near Gubin. Further on, the goods could reach beyond the eastern border – in Kobryn near Brest.

Since 1985, the number of inland waterway vessels in Poland has been systematically decreasing due to the decapitalization of ships and the lack of financial resources for the purchase of a new fleet. In the 80s, 90s, and the beginning of our century, the number of tugboats, motor barges, and non-self-propelled barges (non-self-propelled barges in the pushed system account for 80% of the total cargo fleet), as well as passenger ships in shipping companies in Poland, has decreased by half. In Poland, there is a noticeable trend of increasing vessel capacity; in the same period, the average capacity of non-self-propelled barges increased from 379 tons in 1960 to (…)

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