For centuries, rivers have served as major transportation and communication routes. Today, they are attracting growing interest across Europe. The Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium and Switzerland are home to 90% of the continent’s inland waterway companies.

With the Danube, Rhine and Loire, Western Europe has several major inland waterways.

Like rail freight, inland waterway transport is becoming a preferred solution for delivering goods to city centres in major urban areas. The benefits include less congestion, thanks to fewer trucks, and an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared with diesel road transport.

So can this mode of freight transport become a sustainable solution? Does it tick all the boxes? What barriers are holding back its development?

To discuss these questions, we are pleased to welcome:

• Thomas Castan, founder of ULS, Urban Logistic Solutions

• Stéphane Cassagne, Managing Director, Distribution and Express, GEODIS

• Céline Ohresser, Deputy Head of Inland Waterway Development and National Lead for Urban Inland Waterway Logistics at Voies Navigables de France