Water transport has long since established itself as a cheap option for transportation over various distances. It is widely used by the International Forwarding Association to provide shippers of goods with a cheaper option for transportation.
Water transport is being promoted within the European Union due to its undoubted advantages:
- Increased efficiency due to the implementation of new technologies
- Advantages compared with other modes of transport
- Widespread use of water transport for shipments of raw materials and commodities.
The contribution of technology to improving the efficiency of water transport
Advances in modern technologies contribute to the improvement of all modes of transport, including water transport. The equipment, the use of modern technologies that enable tracking of shipments at any time at Sea freight in Europe certainly contribute to the increasing efficiency of water transport.
The advantages that water transport offers compared to other modes of transport
The main advantage of this kind of transport is that there is no need for investments for the construction of roads.
Another no less important advantage is the need for small traction. Therefore, the capacity of the vehicles used in water transport is much larger than the capacity of vehicles in road transport.
Transportation of raw materials and commodities
The main use of water transport is for transporting raw materials and foods. These types of goods occupy a major share in Sea freight in Europe and are essential for countries in the European Union and their foreign trade.
Transportation of foods
Shipments of food to countries in the European Union include commodities such as dairy and meat products, fruits and vegetables and other. A large part of the food is transported in refrigerated containers.
Transportation of raw materials
The largest share of shipments for water transport is that of oil, oil products, ores and timber.
Programme NAIADES
Programme NAIADES plays an important role in promoting the development and growth of water transport within the borders of the European Union. It states that the EU transport policy is one of the foundations of European integration. That is why the efficiency of the EU transport system is being optimized while paying special attention to promote the development of water transport.
Inland waterway transport in the EU
Due to the integration of environmental aspects into transport solutions, inland waterway transport in the EU is becoming more and more important. This is an environmentally friendly solution, which can create integrated transport networks using inland waterway transport in combination with other modes of transport.