The Future of Inland Waterway Shipping: Moving Towards Automation

From a purely technical perspective, it would be already possible today to allow inland waterway vessels to travel across rivers unmanned and remotely controlled. However, as there are still many legal hurdles standing in the way of the everyday use of such ships, German insurers have called on the government to solve them.

The future belongs to automated driving – on the road as well as on shipping routes. Unlike for road traffic, however, there are currently no clear regulations for inland shipping.

“Despite the risks that are hardly known so far, transport insurers are prepared to insure automated inland vessels so that they can move from pilot projects into daily use as quickly as possible,” Jörg Asmussen, General Manager of the German Insurance Association (GDV), pointed out.

“In Germany, with the laws on automated and autonomous driving, we have a clear legal framework for the future of mobility on the road – we now need the same for international inland shipping.”

Technically speaking, automated inland shipping is already possible today.

“Now the new federal government and the responsible river commissions should use standards and legal regulations to further accelerate technical development, stimulate competition and maximize safety,” Asmussen said.

Specifically, transport insurers are committed to solutions in three areas: standards for seaworthiness, data transparency, and clear responsibilities. This is intended to ensure a level of safety that is at least equivalent to that of conventional inland waterway vessels.

This requires a common understanding of the conditions under which an automated ship can sail: Does it need a minimum crew? With what communication, sensor, navigation, and safety technology it needs to be equipped? How can it be protected against cyber attacks? Who approves the ship and certifies that it can sail automatically or remotely, i.e. without people on the bridge?

The travel data of the ships approved in this way would then have to be available to insurers in a standardized format and in real-time. As explained, it needs to be clear at all times who is responsible for steering the ship and when.

The Role of Germany in Inland Shipping

Together with the Netherlands, Germany is said to be ‘the most important’ inland shipping country in Europe. With around 4,000 inland cargo ships, the German fleet provides around a third of the transport services on European rivers and canals.

The ships transport large quantities of raw materials from the Dutch seaports across the Rhine to the German inland ports, including Duisburg, Cologne, Mannheim/Ludwigshafen, and Karlsruhe.

Inland shipping therefore makes a significant contribution to the efficient and sustainable transport of goods. However, the European inland shipping sector is struggling with a severe shortage of skilled workers.

Advancements in Sustainable Inland Shipping

In related news, the inland shipping sector welcomed several sustainability milestones over the past few years. In 2021, Zero Emission Services (ZES) started operations with Alphenaar, the first Dutch inland vessel to use interchangeable energy containers for propulsion.

Furthermore, in 2023, Future Proof Shipping (FPS) launched the first hydrogen-powered zero-emissions inland container ship, H2 Barge 1, in Rotterdam. Also that year, the ‘world’s first’ hydrogen-powered inland vessel Antonie passed technical sea trials and received a certificate to be put into service.

In 2024, cargo ship Den Bosch Max Groen started to operate fully emission-free between Den Bosch, Maasvlakte, and Moerdijk in the Netherlands, becoming the first ship to do so.

What is more, HGK Shipping named in June 2024 its newbuild dry goods vessel with future-fuel-ready capability. The newbuild features what is said to be ‘the world’s largest’ solar module structure on board an inland waterway vessel.

In late 2024, Amadeus Schiffahrts- und Speditions, a subsidiary of HGK Shipping, enhanced its charter fleet with Amadeus Saffier, a wind-powered diesel-electric shortsea vessel. The vessel’s innovative design is expected to contribute to the necessary reduction in CO2 emissions within the transport sector. Equipped with a diesel-electric, future-fuel-ready drive system, the ship can switch from the fuel that is currently used, sulfur-reduced marine gas oil (MGO), to alternative, more sustainable energy sources.