• In 2022, the war in Ukraine, the sanctions against Russia, the changes in global energy flows and the low water episode of the summer impacted inland waterway transport in the European ports significantly.
• With regard to the main European seaports, on the one hand, the ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp-Bruges and Constanta all registered a decrease in the volumes of inland waterway cargo handling (-4.0%, -7.5% and -2.9% respectively). On the other hand, the North Sea Port and the Port of Hamburg both registered a significant growth (+7%), mainly driven by an increase in the transport of petroleum products.
• The overall 2022 results for the inland ports under study reflect a decrease with the exception of the two Ukrainian ports of Reni (+ 398.2%) and Ismail (+118.4%), on the Danube, which recorded an exceptional growth of inland waterway transport volumes. They benefitted from the Danube Solidarity Lanes EU-Ukraine initiative ensuring continuity of trade, and the export of agricultural products from Ukraine.
MAIN EUROPEAN SEAPORTS
- In 2022, 82,763 inland vessels called at the Port of Rotterdam. The volumes of inland waterway cargo handling at the Port of Rotterdam decreased by -4.1% to 151.3 million tonnes in 2022 (compared to 157.7 million tonnes in 2021). While the handling of liquid cargo (-5.4%), and containerised cargo (-11.2%) decreased, the handling of dry cargo (+1.9%) increased. The war in Ukraine, the sanctions against Russia, the changes in global energy flows and the low water episode of the summer 2022 were the main drivers underlying these trends in 2022.
- The ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge have been operating under the name ‘Port of Antwerp-Bruges’ since April 2022. Most of IWW cargo handling at the port takes place on the Antwerp site. In 2022, the number of vessels calling at the port decreased to 57,961 (compared 60,819 in 2021).
- Liquid bulk is the most important cargo type (56.1%), followed by containers (22.6%) and dry bulk (13.8%). The IWW cargo handling decreased in 2022 (-7.5%) reaching a volume of 101.2 million tonnes (compared to 109.4 in 2021).29 This result was driven by a sharp decrease in the transport of liquid bulk (-8.7%), in particular petroleum products (-12.7%). Containers (-10.9%) also sustained a sharp decrease because of the disruptions in global containerised liner shipping, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. Dry bulk increased slightly (+1.5%) driven by higher transport volumes of crude minerals, building materials and solid mineral fuels.
- The IWW modal split within total maritime throughput (excluding industrial traffic30 ) in 2022 was 51.4%, the same as in 2021. The IWW modal split share within container transport to and from the hinterland was 35.1%.
- In 2022, 40,645 inland vessels called in at North Sea Port (Ghent, Terneuzen, Borsele, Flushing), compared to 40,912 in 2021. Despite a lower number of vessels calling at the port, inland navigation cargo handling at North Sea Port experienced a record year for the second time in a row.31
Its volume reached 64.6 million tonnes in 2022 (+8.0% compared to 2021). Liquid bulk grew significantly (+19.6% compared to 2021), reaching its highest level since 2017. This is driven by a strong increase in the transport of petroleum products which can be explained on the one hand by a restauration of the volumes to pre-pandemic levels and, on the other hand, by a more accurate registration of inland navigation volume within the port’s database for this specific segment. However, dry bulk decreased
(-6.9% compared to 2021). Container transport decreased (-8.6% compared to 2021) for the second year in a row. This is mainly linked to disruptions within global containerised liner shipping, particularly between Asia and Europe. - As for the modal split within hinterland transport, inland navigation ranks first with a share of 58% followed by road (30%), rail (10%) and transhipment or feeder traffic (2%).
- In Constanţa, 10,890 inland vessels called at the port in 2022 (10,619 in 2021). IWT traffic remained on a similar level as in 2021 with 15.4 million tonnes. Since the beginning of the war, the cargo handled at the port of Constanţa in relation with Ukraine has registered 11.85 million tonnes, of which 5.4 million tonnes were river traffic and 6.4 million tonnes were maritime traffic. It is mainly attributed to the transport of grain.
- Regarding IWT specifically, mainly dry cargo is handled at the Port of Constanţa, with a share of 85% of the total cargo volume handled in 2022. Dry cargo volumes however registered a -10% decrease compared to 2021. Liquid cargo saw a substantial increase of +59.3% compared to 2021. Container transport reached a record year, increasing by 16 times. It however remains at low levels (202,000 tonnes). General cargo more than doubled. As was the case in 2021, cabotage and transit traffic combined had a share of 98% in 2022 while export and import traffic had a share of only 2%.
- IWT cargo handling was +7.2% higher in 2022 (7.47 million tonnes) compared to 2021 (6.97 million tonnes). Exports experienced a higher increase (+10.5%) than imports (+4.5%). This development was mainly driven by more liquid bulk transport, which had a strong rise of +31.6%, returning almost to its pre-pandemic level. This is attributed to petroleum products (+37.7%). The year 2022 therefore brings a stop to the yearly and steady decline observed in this market segment since 2015.
- Containers and dry cargo volumes decreased slightly, by -1.9% and -2.8% respectively. For dry cargo, this was mainly driven by ores and mining products (-14.9%) for the second year in a row (already -18% in 2021 compared to 2020). Ores are the second most important cargo type at the Port of Hamburg. In line with 2021, when transport of coal, crude oil and natural gas had already experienced a strong upwards movement by +70%, this cargo type (the third largest at the port of Hamburg), also increased by +12.2% in 2022. This is mainly driven by a rise in coal transport, attributed to the high gas prices observed in 2021, further enhanced in 2022 by the consequences of the war in Ukraine, resulting in a shift towards coal in the energy sector.
- In 2022, the entire hinterland transport amounted to 88 million tonnes (compared to 92 million tonnes in 2021). With a share of 53.9% (+1.0 percentage point), railway transport is ahead of truck transport with 37.6% (-2.1 percentage point) and inland waterway transport with 8.5% (+0.9 percentage point).
Sources: Ports’ statistics, Destatis, CBS, Eurostat [iww_go_aport] and Danube Commission
* For Szczecin, data are for 2021.
Source: Romanian national Institute of Statistics
ROTTERDAM
FIGURE 1: INLAND WATERWAY CARGO HANDLING IN THE SEAPORT OF ROTTERDAM (IN MILLION TONNES) *
Source: CBS
* Note that data from the Port of Rotterdam based on CBS data were used in previous years, which can explain a difference in the numbers reported in the last years. However, the overall trends remain identical.
FIGURE 2: INLAND WATERWAY CARGO HANDLING IN THE SEAPORT OF ROTTERDAM PER CARGO SEGMENT (IN MILLION TONNES) *
Source: CBS
* General cargo is not taken into account in these calculations. In 2022, the volume transported for general cargo amounted to 3.4 million tonnes.
ANTWERP-BRUGES
FIGURE 3: INLAND WATERWAY CARGO HANDLING IN THE SEAPORT OF ANTWERP-BRUGES (IN MILLION TONNES) *
Source: Port of Antwerp-Bruges
* From 2021 onwards, figures for inland waterway cargo handling at the Port of Antwerp and Zeebrugge appear under the name “Port of Antwerp-Bruges”.
FIGURE 4: INLAND WATERWAY CARGO HANDLING IN THE SEAPORT OF ANTWERP-BRUGES PER CARGO SEGMENT (IN MILLION TONNES) *
Source: Port of Antwerp-Bruges
* Ro/ro general and not assigned goods are not taken into account in these calculations (in 2022, the volume transported for these three cargo types amounted to 7.4 million tonnes, mostly attributed to general goods).
From 2021 onwards, figures for inland waterway cargo handling at the Port of Antwerp and Zeebrugge appear under the name “Port of Antwerp-Bruges”.
NORTH SEA PORT
FIGURE 5: INLAND WATERWAY CARGO HANDLING IN THE NORTH SEA PORT (IN MILLION TONNES) *
Source: North Sea Port
* Ro/ro and conventional cargo are not taken into account in these calculations (in 2022, the volume transported for these two cargo types amounted to respectively 0.5 million tonnes and 3.4 million tonnes).
CONSTANŢA
FIGURE 6: INLAND WATERWAY CARGO HANDLING IN THE SEAPORT OF CONSTANŢA (IN MILLION TONNES)
Sources: Port of Constanţa
HAMBURG
FIGURE 7: INLAND WATERWAY CARGO HANDLING IN THE SEAPORT OF HAMBURG (IN MILLION TONNES)
Source: Statistical Office of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein
FIGURE 8: INLAND WATERWAY CARGO HANDLING IN THE SEAPORT OF HAMBURG PER CARGO SEGMENT (IN MILLION TONNES) *
Source: Statistical Office of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein
* General cargo is not taken into account in these calculations (in 2022, the volume transported for this cargo type amounted to almost 0.2 million tonnes).
MAIN EUROPEAN INLAND PORTS32
RHINE PORTS
TABLE 1: INLAND WATERWAY CARGO HANDLING IN MAJOR RHINE PORTS (IN MILLION TONNES) AND RATE OF CHANGE 2022/2021 *
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2022/2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duisburg | 47.8 | 42.4 | 44.9 | 41.9 | -6.8% |
| Cologne | 9.1 | 9.1 | 9.8 | 8.2 | -16.7% |
| Mannheim | 7.9 | 6.9 | 7.3 | 7.6 | +3.4% |
| Karlsruhe | 6.9 | 6.2 | 6.4 | 6.8 | +6.2% |
| Strasbourg | 7.5 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 6.4 | -8.9% |
| Neuss | 6.9 | 6.5 | 6.6 | 5.6 | -14.7% |
| Ludwigshafen | 6.6 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 5.6 | -18.7% |
| Basel | 6.1 | 5.1 | 5.4 | 4.6 | -14.9% |
| Mulhouse | 4.9 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.6 | -11.6% |
| Mainz | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 3.5 | +11.6% |
| Kehl | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.2 | -28.1% |
| Krefeld | 3.6 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.1 | -8.3% |
| Andernach | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.3 | -13.1% |
| Wesseling | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.1 | -0.5% |
| Wesel | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 1.9 | -7.3% |
| Total | 122.6 | 112.4 | 116.3 | 106.5 | -8.7% |
Sources: Destatis, Port de Strasbourg, Swiss Rhine ports, Port de Mulhouse
The “total” relates only to the ports mentioned in the table, not all Rhine ports.
* Data on German ports are based on the geographical approach, which means that all cargo turnover within a city is taken into account and not only the cargo handled in a specific port.
TOTAL YEARLY WATERSIDE TRAFFIC (IN MILLION TONNES)
PORTS IN GERMANY OUTSIDE THE RHINE *
TABLE 2: INLAND WATERWAY CARGO HANDLING IN MAJOR NON-RHINE PORTS IN GERMANY (IN MILLION TONNES) AND RATE OF CHANGE 2022/2021
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2022/2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamburg | 8.7 | 7.9 | 7.6 | 8.3 | +8.5% |
| Gelsenkirchen | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 4.9 | -0.2% |
| Frankfurt am Main | 5.4 | 5.7 | 5.4 | 4.8 | -11.6% |
| Bremen | 2.8 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 3.2 | -1.7% |
| Marl | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.9 | -7.3% |
| Brunsbüttel | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.8 | -0.9% |
| Saarlouis | 2.6 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 2.8 | +7.7% |
| Bottrop | 3.8 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 2.8 | -1.3% |
| Salzgitter | 2.9 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 2.7 | -1.0% |
| Lünen | 2.6 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 2.6 | +10.1% |
| Magdeburg | 2.3 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.4 | -9.9% |
| Hamm | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 2.1 | -2.6% |
| Lingen (Ems) | 2.3 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 2.0 | -4.5% |
| Heilbronn | 2.3 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 1.9 | -12.3% |
| Berlin | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.7 | -4.7% |
| Total | 51.5 | 46.6 | 48.4 | 47.7 | -1.4% |
Source: Destatis
* Data on German ports are based on the geographical approach, which means that all cargo turnover within a city is taken into account and not only the cargo handled in a specific port. For Hamburg, the figures according to this approach are therefore higher than the figures of the Port of Hamburg, due to other transshipment places in the city.
TOTAL YEARLY WATERSIDE TRAFFIC (IN MILLION TONNES)
DUTCH PORTS
TABLE 3: INLAND WATERWAY CARGO HANDLING IN MAJOR DUTCH PORTS (IN MILLION TONNES) AND RATE OF CHANGE 2022/2021
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2022/2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotterdam | 151.7 | 148.8 | 157.7 | 151.3 | -4.0% |
| Amsterdam | 57.3 | 50.7 | 56.3 | 56.3 | -2.2% |
| Vlissingen | 18.9 | 15.9 | 21.1 | 24.6 | +16.9% |
| Terneuzen | 13.8 | 13.4 | 12.7 | 11.6 | -8.3% |
| Moerdijk | 8.9 | 9.1 | 9.7 | 9.4 | -3.1% |
| Sittard-Geleen | 6.8 | 6.4 | 7.1 | 6.7 | -5.6% |
| Velsen | 6.5 | 6.8 | 7.2 | 6.7 | -6.3% |
| Dordrecht | 5.5 | 5.9 | 6.5 | 5.9 | -7.4% |
| Delfzijl | 5.2 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 5.0 | +13.7% |
| Stein | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 3.2 | -0.6% |
| Nijmegen | 2.5 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.9 | +2.3% |
| Gennep | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 2.9 | -9.7% |
| Hengelo (O) | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 2.9 | -19.2% |
| Sluis | 2.7 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 2.8 | -5.0% |
| Urk | 5.4 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 0.2 | -58.1% |
| Total | 295.3 | 279.1 | 300.5 | 292.9 | -2.5% |
Source: CBS
TOTAL YEARLY WATERSIDE TRAFFIC (IN MILLION TONNES)
FRENCH AND BELGIAN PORTS
TABLE 4: INLAND WATERWAY CARGO HANDLING IN MAJOR FRENCH AND BELGIAN PORTS (IN MILLION TONNES) AND RATE OF CHANGE 2022/2021
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2022/2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antwerp | 101.3 | 101 | 109.433 | 101.2 | -7.5% |
| Paris | 25.3 | 22.8 | 22.5 | 20.6 | -8.5% |
| Liège | 16.0 | 13.9 | 14.9 | 14.5 | -2.5% |
| La Louvière | 6.9 | 6.2 | 6.4 | 6.8 | +6.1% |
| Strasbourg | 7.5 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 6.4 | -8.9% |
| Brussels | 5.2 | 4.9 | 5.4 | 5.1 | -7.0% |
| Rouen | 5.5 | 5.9 | 5.4 | 4.9 | -9.6% |
| Namur | 4.6 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.3 | -1.2% |
| Mulhouse | 4.9 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.6 | -11.6% |
| Le Havre | 3.4 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 3.2 | +6.3% |
| Marseille | 2.8 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 2.1 | +4.5% |
| Lille | 1.9 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 2.4 | +3.3% |
| Dunkirk | 2.5 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 2.1 | -20.6% |
| Metz | 2.2 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.8 | +1.1% |
| Lyon | 1.1 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.2 | -0.3% |
| Villefranche-sur-Saône | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | +3.0% |
| Total | 191.9 | 183.4 | 193.1 | 180.8 | -6.4% |
Sources: Voies Navigables de France, Ports de Paris, Port de Liège, Port Autonome du Centre et de l’Ouest, Port de Strasbourg, Port de Mulhouse, Port de Bruxelles, Port de Namur, Nouveau Port de Metz, Port de Lille, Port de Dunkerque, Port of Antwerp-Bruges
The “total” relates only to the ports mentioned in the table, and not to all French and Belgian ports.
TOTAL YEARLY WATERSIDE TRAFFIC (IN MILLION TONNES)
DANUBE PORTS
TABLE 5: INLAND WATERWAY CARGO HANDLING IN MAJOR DANUBE PORTS (IN MILLION TONNES) AND RATE OF CHANGE 2022/2021
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2022/2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constanţa | 14.5 | 14.5 | 15.8 | 15.4 | -2.9% |
| Ismail | 4.3 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 8.9 | +118.4% |
| Reni | 1.3 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 6.8 | +398.2% |
| Smederovo | 4.0 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 3.0 | -3.9% |
| Galaţi | 3.1 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 3.0 | -8.8% |
| Linz | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 2.9 | -15.9% |
| Giurgulesti | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 2.1 | +17.9% |
| Bratislava | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 1.9 | +4.8% |
| Pancevo | 1.5 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 1.6 | +69.9% |
| Regensburg | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.1 | -16.9% |
| Drobeta Turnu Severin | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.0 | -12.7% |
| Budapest-Csepel | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.0 | -17.8% |
| Prahovo | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.9 | -11.1% |
| Măcin-Turcoaia | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.9 | -26.4% |
| Novi Sad | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 0.9 | -31.8% |
| Giurgiu | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.7 | -32.5% |
| Vienna | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.6 | -37.1% |
| Călăraşi-Chiciu | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.6 | -38.9% |
| Enns | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.5 | -17.6% |
| Tulcea | 1.6 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 0.5 | -63.9% |
| Baja | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.3 | -47.4% |
| Total | 50.8 | 46.9 | 48.7 | 54.9 | +12.7% |
Sources: Danube Commission market observation, Romanian National Institute of Statistics
The “total” relates only to the ports mentioned in the table and not all Danube ports. The data used in Figure 6 come from the Port of Constanţa while the data used in this table come from the Romanian National Institute of Statistics. This can explain the slight difference in the figures reported.
TOTAL YEARLY WATERSIDE TRAFFIC (IN MILLION TONNES)
SAVA PORTS
TABLE 6: INLAND WATERWAY CARGO HANDLING IN MAJOR SAVA PORTS (IN 1,000 TONNES) AND RATE OF CHANGE 2022/2021 *
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2022/2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serbia | ||||||||
| Other ports | - | - | 682 | 949 | 2.1 | 2.283 | 3.2 | +40.2% |
| Sremska Mitrovica | 261 | 189 | 234 | 560 | 486 | 693 | 1.194 | +72.3% |
| Šabac | 135 | 170 | 149 | 149 | 170 | 224 | 142 | -36.6% |
| Croatia | ||||||||
| Slavonski Brod | 198 | 117 | 131 | 199 | 138 | 192 | 161 | -16.4% |
| Sisak | 90 | 60 | 66 | 70 | 55 | 29 | 38 | +31.0% |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||||||||
| Brčko | 158 | 136 | 98 | 125 | 73 | 31 | 41 | +31.0% |
| Brod oil refinery | 20 | 10 | 29 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 862 | 682 | 1.389 | 2.06 | 3.022 | 3.452 | 4.775 | +38.3% |
Source: International Sava River Basin Commission
* In 2015, the Port of Šamac in Bosnia and Herzegovina reported bankruptcy, therefore no transshipment of cargo has been recorded since then. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and reconstruction of the Brod oil refinery in 2021, no transshipment at the river terminal was recorded in 2020 and 2021. Since 2018, data for smaller transshipment places in Serbia began to be collected which explains the increasing amount of transshipped goods recorded in Serbia for those years.
TOTAL YEARLY WATERSIDE TRAFFIC (IN THOUSAND TONNES)
