• Energy Research

Addressing nautical bottlenecks is crucial for optimizing the utilization of inland waterways and maximizing the economic benefits of transports. To maximize economic benefits, a study was conducted to validate a key performance indicator (KPI)-based framework. This framework offers a structured approach to assessing the impact of resolved nautical bottlenecks on the economic benefits of inland waterway transport (IWT). To validate the applicability of the KPI framework, interviews with eleven experts were conducted. The goal was to prioritize each KPI based on their insights. The results of the interviews shed light on the relevance and coherence of both the individual KPIs and the overall KPI framework. The experts confirmed the importance of measures related to transportation efficiency, such as reduced transit times, increased vessel throughput, and enhanced reliability. The validated KPI-based framework serves as a valuable tool for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and researchers. It enables the assessment of the effects of resolving nautical bottlenecks in inland waterway systems. Future research should focus on quantifying the multifaceted impacts, making this framework even more useful for decision-making processes concerning investments in infrastructure upgrades and maintenance.

Sustainable transport, such as using inland waterway transport (IWT), represents a major pillar of the European Green Deal to reduce global warming. To evaluate the different inland transport modes (road, rail, IWT), it is crucial to know the external costs of these modes. The goal of this paper is a critical review of external cost categories (e.g., accidents, noise, emissions) and external cost calculation methods of IWT to provide ideas for future research. We identified 13 relevant papers in a literature review dealing with external costs of IWT. In a meta-analysis, the papers were assigned to the seven external cost categories: accident, noise, congestion, habitat damage, air pollution, climate change and well-to-tank emissions. The most investigated external cost categories are climate change, air pollution and accidents. Two studies were identified as the major external cost calculation methods for IWT in the abstract. Our paper shows that the data basis of IWT is significantly lower than for road/rail. The measurement of energy consumption and related emissions of IWT needs to be qualitatively and quantitatively improved and brought up to the level of road traffic, to ensure an accurate comparison with other modes of transport.

Learning from the effects of past crises allows the transport sector to handle future crises effectively and proactively. The goal of this paper is to identify and classify types of crises that have hit Europe in the previous 20 years and to identify the effects of these crises on the freight transport modes. Moreover, further research on each transport mode is derived. To reach this goal, we conducted a systematic literature review by using five well-known databases, which resulted in 296 search results, of which 29 references were relevant. We identified four crises that hit the freight transport modes in the previous 20 years in Europe: the 2008 financial crisis, the 2015 migration crisis, the 2020 COVID-19 crisis, and the ongoing climate crisis. However, the effects of the different crises on the transport modes can be both positive (e.g., the introduction of a new maritime slow-steaming service) or negative (e.g., a reduction in safety). The insights, gaps, and future research directions identified will encourage researchers, as well as practitioners, to learn from previous crises and be prepared for proactive actions during future crises, thus contributing to more reliable and sustainable transportation systems.

Emissions originating from inland navigation should be reduced to achieve climate targets. This paper aims to identify (1) onboard GHG emission measurement systems, (2) calculation methods for GHG emissions of inland vessels and (3) reduction measures. A systematic literature review, examining 6 databases, yielded 105 initial outcomes, with 17 relevant references. The review reveals a scarcity of studies, with the majority concentrated in Europe and Asia, while North America, Africa, Australia, and South America remain largely unexplored. Four of the seventeen relevant studies focused on real-world GHG emissions measurement. Future research should explore more efficient and calibrated approaches for real-time CO2 insights in inland vessels. In the section on calculating GHG emissions, most papers attempt to adapt the EEDI or EEXI to inland navigation. Reduction measures for GHG emissions concentrate on alternative fuels, like LNG, methanol, hydrogen, or alternative power sources. As the research in this area is limited, prioritizing it in academic discourse is not only essential for advancing our understanding but also imperative for shaping a resilient and environmentally conscious future for inland navigation.