inland shipping in urban logistics – of “beerboats

Inland shipping in urban

logistics – of “Beerboats”,

“Green Waves” and other ships in

town.

#IWTS2.0: “Mobilizing small

waterway transport potentials”

Inland shipping in urban logistics –

of “Beerboats”, “Green Waves” and

other ships in town.

2

Lay out cover by: Maritieme Akademie Harlingen. Photo: De Vlaamse Waterweg

This document is published within the #IWTS 2.0 project, an INTERREG Vb project of the North Sea Region as

one of the material for WP 5. See www.northsearegion.eu/iwts20 for more information.

Author

Dr. Lars Stemmler

bremenports GmbH & Co. KG

http://www.northsearegion.eu/iwts20

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“#IWTS 2.0: Mobilising small waterway transport potentials”

https://northsearegion.eu/iwts20

Inland shipping in urban

logistics – of “Beerboats”,

“Green Waves” and other ships in

town.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................................................................... 3

List of Figures .................................................................................................................................................................. 4

Inland shipping in urban logistics – of “Beerboats”, “Green Waves” and other ships in town .............................. 5

“Green Wave” – an emission-free barge for urban transport .............................................................................. 5

Blue-print: The “Beerboat” in the City of Utrecht ................................................................................................... 6

City logistics using urban waterways in Gothenburg ............................................................................................ 6

The Challenge: Less congestion, more space for liveable cities ............................................................................... 8

Taking to the water .................................................................................................................................................... 8

Concept development: A study for the City of Bremen ........................................................................................ 9

Review Questions .........................................................................................................................................................12

References .....................................................................................................................................................................13

About #IWTS 2.0 ...........................................................................................................................................................14

Appendix: Fact Sheet “Green Wave”...........................................................................................................................15


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List of Figures

Figure1: The “Green Wave” at its mooring at the shipyard. Source: ‘IWTS 2.0 ........................................................ 5

Figure 3: The “Green Wave” under way. Source: ‘IWTS 2.0 ........................................................................................ 6

Figure 2: The “Green Wave” under way. Source: ‘IWTS 2.0 ........................................................................................ 6

Figure 4: Unloading operation in Utrecht. Source: ‘IWTS 2.0 .................................................................................... 7

Figure 5: DenCity along the River Götaälv in Gothenborg. Source: SSPA ................................................................ 7

Figure 6: Mission statement of Green Wave Urban Transport by TESCO. Source: TESCO .................................... 8

Figure 7: Long-distance IW-barge in the inner-city of Bremen. Source: author ..................................................... 9

Figure 8: IW-based transport chain for urban logistics. Source: Lardon/Jacovis/Rippe ......................................... 9

Figure 9: Proposed client segments and load units. Source: Lardon/Jacovis/Rippe ............................................10

Figure 10: Available interchange infrastructure. Source: Lardon/Jacovis/Rippe ..................................................11

Figure 11: Handling technology and storage at interchange location. Source: Lardon/Jacovis/Rippe ..............11

Figure 12: Side-ramp of “Green Wave”. Source: TESCO ...........................................................................................12


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Inland shipping in urban logistics – of “Beerboats”, “Green Waves” and other

ships in town

Amsterdam, Berlin, Bremen, Copenhagen – plenty of European cities are built on or along

the water. And all share a problem: congestion in inner-city areas. Inland shipping can be

a viable alternative to take cargo off the roads and onto small barges. Deliveries are no

longer effected by truck, but by innovative barge concepts.

This case study illustrates three examples from the cities of Utrecht, Ghent and Bremen

of how inland shipping can make a difference in urban logistics. Small barges not only

contribute towards less truck traffic in urban areas, but they also deliver the advantages

of inland shipping directly under the eyes of the public; thus putting the transport mode

onto the mental radar screens of the citizens.

“Green Wave” – an emission-free barge

for urban transport

The 20th of October 2020 saw the festive launch

of the fully emission-free barge “Green Wave” at

Euroship, a shipyard, in Heerewaarden (The

Netherlands). “Green Wave” has been developed

by The European Shipment Company (TESCO) BV,

in collaboration with partners from the EU-

funded Interreg-project #Inland Waterway

Transport Solutions 2.0 (#IWTS 2.0).

The Green Wave barge will be active in the city

centre of Ghent. The city of Ghent is struggling

with congested traffic routes and needs to

protect its invaluable medieval architecture by

minimizing the use of heavy

road vehicles in the historic

city centre. With the

deployment of the Green

Wave, there is now an

alternative to the city's

logistics issues. The

investment in electric boating

must contribute to a cleaner

and quieter living

environment and increase the

quality of live in the city of

Ghent.

TESCO is a family-owned

shipping company currently

deploying seven conventional

inland barges, but with a

keen interest on developing

inland shipping-based

urban logistics.

With the foundation of Green Wave Urban

Transports (GWUT) in 2019, TESCO wants to put

emission-free city logistics high on the agenda.

GWUT distinguishes itself by developing new

types of small ships that meet the latest

environmental standards and can sail down to

the smallest waterways in city centres.

The flush-decked (ie having no holds) electric

barge Green Wave measures 14.95 meters long

by 4 meters wide. It has a capacity of 20 metric

tons and will be sailing predominantly with

building materials to the city centre, but is also

available for other freight, like transporting waste

streams from the city centre.

Figure1: The “Green Wave” at its mooring at the shipyard. Source: ‘IWTS 2.0

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A battery load provides for enough energy to

bring the boat through a full working day.

Manning and freight logistics will be organized by

De Groote-Houtboerke, one of the partners

within the #IWTS project. In future, De Groote-

Houtboerke intends to charge the batteries of the

barge with solar energy from their roofs and so

the barge will sail 100% emission free from well

to propeller.

Blue-print: The “Beerboat” in the City of

Utrecht

The City of Utrecht, The Netherlands, introduced

the “Beerboat”, a municipality-owned vessel

serving restaurants and pubs in downtown

Utrecht. In order to limit truck traffic in the city,

breweries are required to serve their customers

using the “Beerboat”. Instead of dropping casks

and crates of beer into

pub´s store rooms from

the back of a truck, the

Beerboat takes over on the

last mile.

Four breweries and a

catering industry

wholesaler serve more than

60 clients in the medieval

city. The vessel with a

length of approx.. 19

metres can take up to 18

tons which is the equivalent

of 40 to 48 role cages, a

ubiquitous unit load in road

freight. The Beer Boat is

owned by the municipality,

which leases the boat to

companies that provide the actual distribution

services

Cargo is shifted to the waterway at an

appropriate out-of-town location. The logistics´

term of a milkrun, describing a supply run that

covers multiple consignees, is taken literally here.

Beer and other drinks get delivered to the pubs

by boat!

City logistics using urban waterways in

Gothenburg

Another example is the publicly funded project

“DenCity”. In Gothenborg, SSPA, another #IWTS

2.0-partner, ran a prototype of a barge-based

delivery system for the Swedish city involving a

parcel delivery service and waste collection on

empty return trips. DenCity aims to find

sustainable mobility solutions in order to

eliminate the need for heavy trucks.

Gothenburg is currently growing rapidly and the

city has plans for developing several new districts

in close proximity to the river, Götaälv, which cuts

through the city. One of these areas is the former

port, Frihamnen, which is located close to the city

centre and will be developed to accommodate

and provide work places for approximately

15,000 people. Local authorities have designated

this area a place where innovative and

Figure 2: The “Green Wave” under way. Source: ‘IWTS 2.0

Figure 3: The “Green Wave” under way. Source: ‘IWTS 2.0


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sustainable solutions within urban planning and

mobility will be developed and tested.

Gothenburg’s waterways pose several challenges

when it comes to choice of vessel. For example,

there are many low bridges, narrow passages and

shallow waters to be considered while also

finding ways of maximising cargo capacity. The

vessel used was a small barge, well-suited for the

desired route, with an accompanying tugboat.

The waste was loaded using the truck’s container

lifting devices and goods were rolled onto the

barge using small ramps. This means that no

additional landbased cargo handling equipment

was needed.

During the

demonstration, the

barge collected

package freight every

day from the DHL

terminal a couple of

kilometres upstream

from Gothenburg city

centre, which was

then unloaded in the

city centre for further

distribution on cargo

bikes and in electric

vehicles. Waste was

then loaded onto the

vessel and

transported from

Lindholmen to the

waste-to-energy incinerator plant in Sävenäs for

production of electricity and heat.

Green Wave, DenCity and the Beerboat provide

alternatives to existing, road-only distribution

concepts. Both offer “door-to-door” logistics

solutions. Transfer hubs are placed at strategic

locations around the areas to be served. The

barges can also serve as “micro-hubs”

themselves, providing mobile temporary storage

to connect with cargobikes or other modes of

transport.

Figure 4: Unloading operation in Utrecht. Source: ‘IWTS 2.0

Figure 5: DenCity along the River Götaälv in Gothenborg. Source: SSPA


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The Challenge: Less congestion,

more space for liveable cities

There is a need for significant changes to be

made to the transport system in order to meet

society’s long-term transport goals. Local and

national authorities are facing major challenges

related to the freight transport sector, in

particular concerning the increasing greenhouse

gas emissions from freight transports. This trend

is largely due to a larger proportion of goods

being transported by road instead of other, more

energy-efficient modes of transport such as sea

transport.

Taking to the water

In urban environments, and in addition to the

transport sector’s greenhouse gas emissions,

road freight distribution has other effects as well:

congestion, noise and local emissions. Many

urban areas are growing rapidly and local

authorities are also facing challenges in relation

to lack of available space. Also, many cities are

located near and around waterways since

historically, sea transportation was the main

mode of transport. The proximity to water means

that waterways are already an available part of

the infrastructure with the potential to be a

solution for more sustainable city logistics.

Janjevic and Ndiaye sum up the challenges:

“Urban freight transport is increasingly difficult

to organize and manage: the demographic

expansion of cities, the environmental issues,

new logistical trends, scarcity of space and the

evolving consumer habits are just some of the

challenges. In most cities, road transportation

is essentially the only mode used for

performing urban distribution of goods. Inland

navigation is used solely for transport of bulk

materials over long distances bulk material.”

(see Janjevic & A. B. Ndiaye, Transactions on

The Built Environment, Vol 138, 2014)

Urban logistics includes a number of different

activities, such as transportation of construction

material, distribution to retail outlets, distribution

to the hospitality industry, service trips, courier

and express services, waste shipments and

return logistics, which differ according to the type

of products, actors or characteristics of the

deliveries.

In an urban context, inland shipping depends on

beneficial locations of the loading and

discharging locations as well as the duration of

the milkruns and the appropriate load units.

Another concern is the selection of an efficient

handling technology. In most cases, using small

barges for city logistics requires additional

handling operations which influence the cost

structure and, hence, the commercial viability of

such concepts.

Whereas the Beerboat chose a conventional lift-

on, lift-off handling system, the Green Wave relies

on ramps to allow for speedy roll-on, roll-off

operations. Both systems have distinct

(dis)advantages and require careful analysis of

the specific local circumstances.

What unifies those concepts, however, is the

strive for more sustainability. Making more use of

existing waterways, at the same time relieving

inner-city roads of (truck) journeys, are two of the

most prominent objectives.

Figure 6: Mission statement of Green Wave Urban Transport by TESCO. Source: TESCO


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Concept development: A study for the City

of Bremen

A Masters´ student group at Bremen University

developed a concept for an inland shipping-

based urban logistics system for the City of

Bremen. The concept was presented at the #IWTS

2.0-Innovation Challenge in October 2020 to a

wider audience1.

Barges constitute the main haul in an urban

logistics system that include inland navigation.

They connect a consolidation point, say a freight

village and serve a number of stops or

interchange facilities on their regular milkruns. At

the consolidation point, barges get loaded with

incoming consignments to be distributed to their

final destinations. At each stop, the barges deliver

their loads directly to the consignee, or the goods

get transferred to another mode of transport for

delivery along the “last mile”. In order to design a

sustainable transport chain, cargo-cycles might

play a role here.

Successfully integrating inland shipping into

urban logistics relies on the same principles that

apply to every logistics system:

Obviously, the system needs to

capture as many potential shippers and

1 See see https://project-iwts20.eu/wp-

content/uploads/2020/10/20201008_Universitat_Breme

n_Gruppe_2_Integration_der_Binnenschif.pdf

consignees as possible. In Bremen, the

River Weser provides for a natural

arteria, flowing in North-West to South-

East direction approximately 40 km

through the city. It captures two inner-

city areas with shops and other retail

outlets; at least four residential areas

with a dense population directly adjoin

the river; and a number of commercial

areas are located in direct vicinity of the

waterway, including the ports as well as

the freight village.

Figure 7: Long-distance IW-barge in the inner-city of

Bremen. Source: author

Figure 8: IW-based transport chain for urban logistics. Source: Lardon/Jacovis/Rippe


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Each client group, such as

private households in residential areas,

companies in commercial areas and

retailers in inner-city areas and shopping

centres have distinct requirements as to

unit loads, delivery times and levels or

service. The analysis reveals the types of

unit loads, the expected volumes and

delivery schedules. The scheduling of the

barge milkruns and the required delivery

times along the “last mile” will determine

whether, and to what extent, interim

storage at the interchange stops

becomes necessary. In most cases, it

might neither be feasible nor be possible

to transfer cargo from barge to waiting

cargo-cycles, for example. Returning

empty unit loads, interim storage at

barge stops might serve as collection

points easily accessible over the working

day of the cycle-couriers.

For a seamless transfer of cargo

between barges and other modes,

suitable interchange locations need to be

identified. Ship-to-shore handling can

take place at a quay or berth, via a roll-

on, roll-off ramp or using a pontoon, a

floating mooring, In Bremen, there a

numerous venues along the river which

are both suitably located to capture a

hinterland, and which provide for a

combination of different handling

means. Additionally, a barge-based

urban logistics solution can also make

use of existing berths in the harbour

areas of the city. Further, those

interchange points must be suitable to

set-up interim storage facilities.

The characteristics of the unit

load and available interchange

infrastructure determine suitable ship-

to-shore handling technology. Any vessel

can be designed to handle roll-on/roll-off

(ro/ro) cargo, or it can be equipped with

cranes for lift-on/lift-off (lo/lo) operation.

For ro/ro cargoes, both a shoreside and

vessel-mounted ramp are required. Lo/lo

cargoes are best handled along a quay,

either with ships´ own gear or land

cranes.

Interim storage adjacent to the

interchange location are in effect

“stockless” depots holding full unit loads

from barges only until being picked up

for the on-carriage to the consignee, or

for returned empty load units for pick-up

by barge. At those locations, there will be

Figure 9: Proposed client segments and load units. Source: Lardon/Jacovis/Rippe


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no order picking or other warehousing

services. All loading and unloading tasks

must be carried out either by ship´s

crew or the courier drivers.

Storage facilities need to track

and trace cargo moves in and out of the

facility. They must comply with local

building codes. Storage facilities also

provide weather protection and prevent

theft and vandalism.

For example, Rytle, a Bremen-

based manufacturer of cargo-bicycles,

offers hardware to equip such storage

facilities. Those “hubs”, as the

manufacturer calls the storage locations,

are equipped with a mobile swap body-

type of container which can hold up to

nine “boxes”. Boxes are on wheels,

resembling a ro/ro operation from barge

to hub. Boxes can be used also without

hubs.

Figure 10: Available interchange infrastructure. Source: Lardon/Jacovis/Rippe

Figure 11: Handling technology and storage at interchange location. Source: Lardon/Jacovis/Rippe


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The distances between the stops

of the milkruns and the required travel

times along the routes determine the

design speed of the barges.

The latter are also influenced

by (tidal) currents, wind and

other natural factors along

the waterway. Also, work

health and safety issues play

a role in designing an IWT-

based urban logistics system.

Whereas the

Beerboat and the Green

Wave-barge are electrically

powered vessels for inner-

city work, a barge

deployed along the River

Weser surely needs to be

equipped to perform reliably over longer

distances.

Review Questions

1. In a city well known to you, how do urban logistics for retailers and for online shopping-deliveries

look like?

a. Describe the city distribution system for both client segments and identify challenges.

b. What are the problems with regards to urban deliveries discussed by politicians and the

public from an urban development point of view?

2. What disadvantages, if any, must be addressed when integrating inland waterways into urban

logistics? Make appropriate suggestions of how you would address the identified disadvantages.

3. Based on the analysis of inland waterway-based urban logistics, what are critical success factors

when integrating transport modes other than trucks into urban logistics in general?

Figure 12: Side-ramp of “Green Wave”. Source: TESCO


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References

City Council of Utrecht (undated): The BEERBOAT – an all-electric supply vessel. Presentation to the #IWTS

2.0-project

Lardon, Louisa von; Jacovis, Serge, Rippe, Lena (2020): Integration der Binnenschifffahrt in die Stadtlogistik -

Für Bremen eine Lösung? Unpublished Masterthesis University of Bremen, Contribution to the #IWTS 2.0-

Innovation Challenge, Bremen, 8th October 2020. https://project-iwts20.eu/wp-

content/uploads/2020/10/20201008_Universitat_Bremen_Gruppe_2_Integration_der_Binnenschif.pdf

M. Janjevic & A. B. Ndiaye (2014): Inland waterways transport for city logistics: a review of experiences and

the role of local public authorities, in: Transactions on The Built Environment, Vol 138,2014,

doi:10.2495/UT140241

SSPA (edit.) (2017): Demonstrating the use of urban and inland waterways – for densely populated cities and

more sustainable transport, in: Highlights 64 / 2017

bremenports GmbH & Co. KG

are the public infrastructure

managers of the Ports of

Bremen and Bremerhaven.

With 400 staff, we ensure port

availability on 365 days a year,

24/7. Further, we develop the

ports to meet future needs,

balancing ecological, economic

and social requirements.

Our role in #IWTS 2.0 is to bring

inland shipping onto the

mental radarscreens of

students and logistics decision

makers.

https://www.bremenports.de

bremenports GmbH & Co. KG at a glance

Bremen

Bremerhave

n


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About #IWTS 2.0

This case study has been prepared as part of the EU-funded project #IWTS 2.0. IWTS stands for Inland

Waterway Transportation System. This project includes ten partners in the North Sea Region with one goal:

mobilising inland waterway solutions. Solutions include infrastructure upgrades of waterways, new vessel

concepts and innovative business models. bremenports GmbH & Co. KG, the infrastructure manager of the

Ports of Bremen and Bremerhaven, is the German partner in #IWTS 2.0.

For more information see here: https://northsearegion.eu/iwts20


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Appendix: Fact Sheet “Green Wave”

inland shipping in urban logistics – of “beerboats

Documents