Waterways

The Walloon region in Belgium has a dense network of 700 km of navigable waterways, including 450 km used daily for river transport. All the large zones of activity in this region have access to large-capacity waterways. “The size of boats that sail on navigable waterways and he level of service provided to companies are directly dependent on the capacity of the waterways,” explains Pascal Moens, Coordination Manager at the Operational Headquarters of Mobilité et Voies Hydrau-liques (Hydraulic Mobility and Passageways). As part of the Walloon public servi-ce, this administrative body is in charge of the development, maintenance, renovation and use of hydraulic passageways.
The Walloon fluvial network is a large-capacity one as it can host boats upwards of Category 4 (1,350 tons) on almost all of its waterways. “A truck can transport a maximum of 30 tons of goods in Belgium, whereas the smallest boats can transport 300 tons, that is to say 10 times more!” exclaims Pascal Moens. River transport is very economical, notably for businesses that must transport large unpackaged volumes; at the same time, it is adapted to the transport of containers our products in pallets. “By using two forklifts, one at the quay and the other in the boat, we can tranship 180 tons of products in pallets per year, corresponding to a cost of 0.5 cents per ton handled,” specifies Pierre Warnier, representative of the Operational Headquarters of Mobilité et Voies Hydrauliques.
Water transport is extremely reliable and fast, given the quantity of goods transported within a given timeframe. Moreover, it is an ecological mode of transport as it uses up to six times less fuel than road transport per ton of merchandise transported. “Different studies foresee a 45 % increase in goods transport between now and 2030 in Belgium. Fluvial transport of merchandise should play an important role in this domain in order to partially respond to growing mobility and environmental problems that we currently face,” adds Pierre Warnier.
All economic centres in Western Europe are linked to the fluvial network. The possibility of water transport is therefore becoming a major asset that encourages the development of logistical centres. “In order to foster the use of fluvial transport, the Walloon region has developed, since 1996, the necessary tools for supporting companies opting for this type of transport,” explains Pierre Warnier. For example, the Walloon region can finance 30 % of the purchasing price of a crane to be used in a transhipping zone if the company increases its river traffic over a period of at least 4 years.
A 30 % bonus can also be accorded to a company that modernises its fleet. The plan also foresees aid for the development of regular lines of container transport by waterway. These incentives all add to the reasons for choosing waterways, all the more because similar aids are offered to companies by different European countries, including France, Germany, Austria.
Thanks to its principally Category 4 capacity, the Walloon fluvial network corresponds with international standards and has allowed the development of predominantly trans-regional and trans-national traffic. However these standards, dating from the 1950s, are destined to evolve.
International experts recommend the use of Category 5a (2,000 tons) boats from now on. Moreover, large projects in the context of the Trans-European Transport Network foresee the use of larger models.
It should be said that the Walloon  region is at the heart of two large trans-European projects: the improvement of boating conditions on the Meuse–Rhine–Main– Danube axis and the creation of the Seine–Escaut network that will link the Paris waterway with ports in the Northern Sea. For the first project, the Walloon region will construct three locks for up to Category 6b models (9,000 tons), therefore making the Meuse waterway access-ible to very large models.
For the second, the Lys River will be upgraded to Category Vb (4,500 tons), and considerable renovations will take place on the Escaut, the canal from Pommeroeul to Condé, and the Walloon industrial area between Pommeroeul and the Sambre River. All of these waterways will be modernised and brought up to standard for 2,000-ton models. The total cost for these renovation projects will come to 500 million euros. Updated in this way, the Walloon network will most definitely establish its place at the heart of fluvial Europe.