More goods transported over inland waterways in 2024

© Tineke Dijkstra
Over 332 million tonnes of cargo was transported by inland vessel over the Netherlands’ inland waterways in 2024. That was an increase of 1.5 percent over the previous year. The transport of containers and liquid bulk cargo such as petrol saw a particular rise, while the transport of coal declined. This is according to new figures released by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

The transport of liquid bulk cargo increased by 2.3 percent to over 122 million tonnes in 2024. This was largely because more chemical products were transported. The total weight carried per container increased by 3.4 percent, while the number of containers (in TEU, the standard size for containers) increased by 3.6 percent. Around the same volume of dry bulk cargo was transported as in 2023.

More goods brought in from abroad

In 2024, the volume of cargo imported by inland waterway from abroad rose to 64 million tonnes; that was 5.5 percent more than in 2023. Refined petroleum products (such as petrol and diesel) and chemical products saw a particular increase. Most of these types of goods were transported from Belgium.

The transportation of goods within the Netherlands was up by 1.7 percent to over 112 million tonnes. This was mainly due to an increase in the transport of containerised goods of 6.0 percent, and an increase in the number of containers transported (in TEUs) of 6.2 percent. Most of the cargo transported within the Netherlands was metal ores and other minerals (such as sand and gravel), goods in containers and refined petroleum products.

The volume of cargo exported from the Netherlands over inland waterways dropped to around over 12 million tonnes in 2024. This was mainly because less coal was transported to Germany.

The total weight of cargo that passed through the Netherlands (transit trade) was 43 million tonnes - an increase of 0.9 percent.

Increase in liquid bulk cargo transported; little change in dry bulk cargo

The transport of liquid bulk cargo increased to over 122 million tonnes in 2024. This was partly because more chemical products (liquid bulk) were transported: 3.1 percent more than in 2023. This was largely attributable to the transport of goods between the Netherlands and Belgium.

Liquid bulk goods are not packed and loaded individually, but are transported in bulk in the hold of a tanker vessel specially designed for that purpose. In inland navigation, these are mainly refined petroleum products (such as petrol and diesel) and chemical products (such as biodiesel, methanol and benzene). In 2024, 50 million tonnes of chemical products (liquid bulk) were transported by inland vessel, almost 32 percent more than in 2015. Most of that increase was due to an increase in the transport of biodiesel. The volume of refined petroleum products transported has remained fairly stable over the past decade.

Unlike liquid bulk cargo, dry bulk cargo remained stable compared to 2023. There was an increase in the volume of (artificial) fertilizers, timber and wood pellets and grain transported. At the same time, 8 percent less coal was transported than in 2023. This is because there was less demand for coal to fire power stations, due to more competition from gas and renewable energy sources. In 2024, 18 million tonnes of coal was transported, down from 31 million tonnes in 2015 - a drop of 41 percent over ten years.