5. CARGO FLEETS - CCNR - Observation Du Marché

• The European inland cargo fleet continued its long-term structural transformation, with larger vessels gaining importance while the number of smaller vessels continued to decline in the Rhine region.
• Newbuilding activity increased in 2025, with 87 new freight vessels entering the market. Most new dry cargo vessels were registered in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, while the Netherlands accounted for the majority of new tanker vessels.
• The average loading capacity of new tanker vessels increased from 5,326 tonnes in 2024 to 5,851 tonnes in 2025, confirming the trend towards larger vessels. By contrast, the average loading capacity of new dry cargo vessels fell from 4,230 tonnes in 2024 to 2,873 tonnes in 2025, with most new vessels belonging to the 2,000-3,000 tonnes category. In terms of age structure, around 80% of the dry cargo fleet was built in the 20th century, compared to only 38% of the tanker fleet, reflecting a considerably younger tanker fleet.

SIZE OF FLEETS PER MACRO-REGION AND COUNTRY IN EUROPE

TABLE 1: SIZE OF FLEETS (NUMBER OF INLAND VESSELS BASED ON LATEST AVAILABLE YEARS) PER MACRO-REGION AND VESSEL TYPE IN EUROPE

	Dry cargo vessels	Liquid cargo vessels	Push & tugs	Total number of vessels
Rhine fleet	6,224	1,477	1,291	8,992
Danube fleet	2,647	124	605	3,376
Other countries *	786	0 #	261	1,047
Total number of vessels **	9,564	1,572	2,127	13,263

Sources: 1) Rhine countries: VNF (France), CBS/Rijkswaterstaat (The Netherlands), Institute for transport by skippers (ITB) (Belgium), WSV, Registration Duties, Estates and VAT authority of Luxembourg, Swiss Rhine ports. 2) Danube countries (German Danube fleet, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, Ukraine): Danube Commission and [iww_eq_age]. Other countries: Eurostat [iww_eq_loadcap], [iww_eq_age].
* Other countries = Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Finland, Lithuania
** The figures for the total number of vessels exclude the German Danube fleet.
# Based on the existing statistics, it is not possible to identify liquid cargo vessels for other countries. The vessels in these countries were all categorised as dry cargo vessels.

The following figures show the number of dry and liquid cargo vessels taken together (self-propelled vessels and barges) and the number of push and tug boats per country in Europe.

FIGURE 1: NUMBER OF DRY AND LIQUID CARGO VESSELS PER COUNTRY IN EUROPE *

ch5_fig1_raw data

Sources: Eurostat [iww_eq_loadcap], national sources for Rhine countries (Registration Duties, Estates and VAT authority of Luxembourg, Swiss Rhine ports, WSV, VNF, ITB, Rijkswaterstaat and CBS) and Danube Commission for Danube countries (Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, Ukraine)
* Rhine Data are for 2025 except Germany (2024) , other countries (2024) , Danube countries (2023).

FIGURE 2: NUMBER OF PUSH AND TUG BOATS PER COUNTRY IN EUROPE *

ch5_fig2_raw data

Sources: Eurostat [iww_eq_age], Registration Duties, Estates and VAT authority of Luxembourg, and Danube Commission for Austria and Ukraine
* Data are from 2024, except for Italy (2017), Austria and Ukraine (2023) and Luxembourg (2025).

EVOLUTION OF THE RHINE FLEET

DRY CARGO FLEET IN RHINE COUNTRIES

Fleet data used for this part are entirely based on national fleet data from waterway administrations. The reason for this is that a distinction between dry and liquid cargo vessels is only available in national fleet databases and in the IVR database, but not in the Eurostat databases.
Data for the Dutch fleet – which accounts for 50.0% of all dry cargo vessels in the Rhine region and for 48.0% of all tanker vessels – contain the inland vessels that are registered in the Netherlands, and which were active (in the Netherlands as well as abroad) in 2025.²²
The total number of dry cargo vessels registered in Rhine countries was, according to these sources, 6,224 in 2025, 6,337 in 2024 and 6,410 in 2023. There is a clear downward trend in the number of dry cargo vessels, according to the assembled data, at least since the year 2005. A further split of the fleet data per loading capacity category shows that this downward trend is caused by the decline in the number of small vessels (< 1,000 t of loading capacity).
Behind the Dutch fleet, which accounts for roughly half of all dry cargo vessels, the German fleet is on rank 2, with a share of 21.3%. Belgium follows (14.1%) and France in turn follows (13.8%) with similarly high shares. The fleets of Switzerland and Luxembourg together have a share of 4%.

FIGURE 3: NUMBER OF DRY CARGO VESSELS IN RHINE COUNTRIES IN 2025 *

ch5_fig3_raw data

Sources: CCNR based on national data (see table 1)
* Data for Germany relate to 2024.

FIGURES 4 AND 5: DRY CARGO FLEET IN RHINE COUNTRIES *

ch5_fig4_raw data

ch5_fig5_raw data

Sources: CCNR based on national data (see table 1)
* For Germany, data were not available for 2025, so 2024 data were used for this year.

The total loading capacity of the dry cargo Rhine fleet has remained rather constant for a long time (2009-2020) but has declined in recent years (since 2021). It amounted to roughly 9.9 million tonnes in 2025. The average loading capacity per vessel was 1,584 tonnes in 2025. This parameter has followed a steady linear growth trend since the year 2005. This trend is caused by small vessels leaving the active fleet over the years, and larger vessels (though in smaller numbers) entering it.
As the graph for the number of vessels per loading capacity category shows, the small vessels are constantly losing ground in the Rhine market. From a logistical point of view, this aggravates the negative effects of climate change on Rhine navigation. Indeed, small vessels have a lower maximum draught and can still be used for cargo transport during low waters. The phasing out of small vessels is therefore increasing the vulnerability of the logistical Rhine navigation system towards low waters.
In the time period 2022-2025, vessels with a medium capacity have also reduced in numbers. This could be explained by the war in Ukraine, which induced many dry cargo vessels being sold which travelled from the Rhine to the Danube region, and which were used to export grain from the Ukraine.

FIGURE 6: DRY CARGO FLEET IN RHINE COUNTRIES PER LOADING CAPACITY CATEGORY

ch5_fig6_raw data

Sources: national administrations in Rhine countries, CCNR analysis

LIQUID CARGO FLEET IN RHINE COUNTRIES

The share of the Dutch fleet within all liquid cargo vessels in Rhine countries is 48%. Germany is ranked second with a share of 30%, followed by Belgium (10%), Switzerland (5%), France (3%) and Luxembourg (3%).

FIGURE 7: NUMBER OF LIQUID CARGO VESSELS IN RHINE COUNTRIES IN 2025 *

ch5_fig7_raw data

Sources: CCNR based on national data (see table 1)
* For Germany, data relate to 2024.

Within the evolution of the total number of tanker vessels since 2005, three different phases can be distinguished:
1) An increasing trend up until 2010, due to the investment in new double hull vessels that were requested in the framework of the transition from single hull to double hull tankers.
2) A declining trend between 2011 and 2022. This was caused by the phasing out of single hull tankers from the market, due to the transition rules.
3) Since 2022, the total number of tanker vessels has increased again. The market for newbuild picked up again, after the adjustment between 2010 and 2022, and promoted by banks’ willingness to give loans to the large companies in tanker shipping.

FIGURES 8 AND 9: LIQUID CARGO FLEET IN RHINE COUNTRIES *

ch5_fig8_raw data

ch5_fig9_raw data

Sources: CCNR based on national data (see table 1)
* For Germany, data were not available for 2025, so 2024 data were used for this year.

The number of liquid cargo vessels in Rhine countries was 1,477 in 2025, reflecting an increasing trend since 2022 (1,459 vessels in 2024, 1,435 in 2023, 1,400 in 2022).
The loading capacity of the entire tanker fleet has already increased since 2019, from 3.09 million tonnes of deadweight in 2019 to nearly 4.0 million tonnes in 2025 (+28%). This is a substantial increase within a short period of time.
As is the case for dry cargo vessels, the average loading capacity of liquid cargo vessels follows a linear growth trend. The average loading capacity of a tanker vessel in Rhine countries amounted to 2,677 tonnes in 2025, compared to 2,109 tonnes in 2019. Since the year 2005, the average capacity of a Rhine tanker has almost doubled (+ 93%).

FIGURE 10: LIQUID CARGO FLEET IN RHINE COUNTRIES PER LOADING CAPACITY CATEGORY

ch5_fig10_raw data

Sources: national administrations in Rhine countries, CCNR analysis

EVOLUTION OF THE DANUBE FLEET²³

According to statistics of the Danube Commission (DC) (with clarification based on surveys of shipping companies in its Member States), by the end of 2023, 77% of the Danube fleet was composed of dry cargo vessels (2,647), 20% push boats and tugs (682) and 3% were tanker vessels (124).

DRY CARGO FLEET IN THE DANUBE REGION

According to statistics of the Danube Commission (with clarification based on surveys of shipping companies in its Member States), by the end of 2023, 381 self-propelled dry cargo vessels were in operation, together with 2,119 dry cargo barges, with a total cargo capacity of around 3.2 million tonnes.²⁴ The Romanian dry cargo fleet is the largest in the Danube area with a share of around 42% of all dry cargo vessels.
Dry cargo shipping on the Danube is predominantly carried out by means of convoys (pushed convoys, coupled formations as well as pushed-coupled convoys), and only a small share by individual motor cargo vessels. In 2025, for the upper Danube at the lock of Gabčíkovo, 48% of all cargo was transported in pushed convoys. For the middle Danube at Mohács, the share of pushed convoys within total transport was 70%. For the lower Danube, the share of pushed convoys within total transport was even higher.

LIQUID CARGO FLEET IN THE DANUBE REGION

According to statistics of the Danube Commission (with clarification based on surveys of shipping companies in its Member States), by the end of 2023, 36 self-propelled tanker vessels were in operation, together with 72 tanker barges, with a total cargo capacity of around 0.16 million tonnes.²⁵

NEW VESSEL CONSTRUCTION

IN RHINE COUNTRIES²⁶

In 2025, newbuilding activity has shown an increase compared to 2024, with a total of 87 newly built freight vessels. This was the case for dry cargo vessels (18 new dry cargo vessels in 2025 compared to 13 new dry cargo vessels in 2024) and tanker vessels (67 tanker vessels in 2025 compared to 38 tanker vessels in 2024). According to the IVR newbuilding data, two new push boats (registered in Belgium and the Netherlands) were delivered in 2025 (compared to 1 in 2024). The recovery in transport demand, along with the need for fleet modernisation, could be considered as reasons for the rebound in the newbuilding rate. It is also worth noting that vessels classified under the category “Other”, such as patrol, floating equipment or service vessels, are not included in the graphs presented below.²⁷

DRY CARGO

The majority of the new dry cargo vessels entering the market in 2025 are registered in the Netherlands (8 out of 18), followed by Germany (6 out of 18) and Belgium (3 out of 18).

FIGURE 11: NEW DRY CARGO VESSELS COMING ON THE MARKET PER COUNTRY OF REGISTER (NUMBERS, 2011-2025)

ch5_fig11_raw data

Source: IVR

The most common loading capacity for newly built dry cargo vessels in 2025 was in the 2,000 < 3,000 tonnes range. The average loading capacity of new dry cargo vessels in 2025 amounted to 2,873 tonnes compared to 4,230 tonnes in 2024.

TABLE 2: NEWLY BUILT DRY CARGO VESSELS ACCORDING TO LOADING CAPACITY

Loading capacity	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
0 < 1,000 t	4	4	16	13	8	5	0	2
1,000 < 2,000 t	4	8	11	0	4	6	0	1
2,000 < 3,000 t	8	12	8	3	10	3	3	7
3,000 < 4,000 t	6	13	14	11	8	16	6	6
> 4,000 t	3	6	1	2	0	2	4	1
Total	25	43	51	29	31	34	13	18

Source: IVR
Estimations for deadweight tonnage value were made in the previous years. Total numbers contain vessels for which no deadweight tonnage value is known, which explains the possible differences between the overall totals and the sum of vessels sorted by their loading capacity in each column.

TABLE 3: NEWLY BUILT DRY CARGO VESSELS IN 2025 BY LENGTH

Length	Number of vessels
< 55 metres	0
55 to < 70 metres	2
70 to < 86 metres	4
86 to 110 metres	10
> 110 metres	1
Total	18

Sources: IVR, CCNR analysis
Total number contains 1 vessel for which no value for length is known, which explains the difference between the overall total and the sum of vessels sorted by length in each column.

LIQUID CARGO

According to the IVR database, 67 new tanker vessels entered the market in 2025, an increase compared to 2024, when 38 were delivered. The majority of the new vessels are registered in the Netherlands (44), followed by Belgium (12), Switzerland (8), Luxembourg (2) and Germany (1). Together with the increase in the number of vessels, the new loading capacity was also higher in 2025 than in 2024 (see text further below).

FIGURE 12: NEW LIQUID CARGO VESSELS COMING ON THE MARKET PER COUNTRY OF REGISTER (NUMBERS, 2011-2025)

ch5_fig12_raw data

Source: IVR

The most common loading capacity of the new tanker vessels is in the category “> 4,000 tonnes,” with 40 new tanker vessels in 2025. The overall estimated average loading capacity increased from 5,326 tonnes in 2024 to 5,851 tonnes in 2025. This is solely explained by the high number of newbuilt vessels in the > 4,000 tonnes category in 2025 (40) compared to 2024 when 21 such vessels were built. In general, an increasing number of vessels are built to have a loading capacity exceeding 4,000 tonnes, often exceeding this threshold by several thousand tonnes, confirming the trend towards larger vessels being built in the liquid cargo segment observed in recent years.

TABLE 4: NEWLY BUILT LIQUID CARGO VESSELS ACCORDING TO LOADING CAPACITY

Loading capacity	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
0 < 1,000 t	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
1,000 < 2,000 t	11	16	9	14	5	3	2	1
2,000 < 3,000 t	14	17	23	18	22	29	13	12
3,000 < 4,000 t	4	3	9	13	2	2	2	13
> 4,000 t	3	10	15	13	2	15	21	40
Total	34	47	57	58	31	49	38	67

Sources: IVR, CCNR analysis
Note that in 2025, for 18 newly built vessels, the deadweight was partly estimated due to initially missing values. Estimations were also made in the previous years. Total numbers contain vessels for which no deadweight tonnage value is known, which explains the possible differences between the overall totals and the sum of vessels sorted by their loading capacity in each column.

TABLE 5: NEWLY BUILT TANKER VESSELS IN 2025 BY LENGTH

Length	Number of vessels
< 55 metres	1
55 to < 70 metres	0
70 to < 86 metres	4
86 to 110 metres	16
> 110 metres	46
Total	67

Sources: IVR, CCNR analysis

Figure 13 illustrates the new loading capacity for dry and liquid cargo vessels entering the market by year. Following a prolonged post-financial crisis slump, recent years have witnessed a resurgence in new capacity for liquid cargo vessels. For dry cargo vessels, the curve does not show a clear recovery. As was mentioned earlier, the development of transport demand in the dry cargo sector was very weak in recent years, which might have caused the prolonged slump in newbuilding rates and related capacities entering the market.

FIGURE 13: NEW CAPACITY COMING ON THE MARKET FOR DRY AND LIQUID CARGO (LOADING CAPACITY IN 1,000 TONNES)

ch5_fig13_raw data

Source: IVR
In 2025, for 18 newly built vessels, the deadweight was partly estimated due to initially missing values. Estimations were also made in the previous years.

IN DANUBE COUNTRIES²⁸

Newbuilding activity in Danube countries is less intense than in Rhine countries. According to the IVR database, in the last 10 years, new freight vessels were registered in Romania (6), Croatia (1), Austria (1) and Slovakia (1). Those figures do not take into account the German Danube fleet.

AGE STRUCTURE OF THE RHINE AND DANUBE CARGO FLEET

According to the vessel database of the IVR,²⁹ around 80% of the dry cargo fleet was constructed in the 20th century, whereas this share amounts to 38% for the tanker fleet. According to this same database, the Netherlands holds the largest number of vessels within the Rhine fleet in almost every vessel category, followed by Germany.

FIGURE 14: COMMISSIONING YEARS FOR THE RHINE FLEET OVER TIME (NUMBER OF INLAND VESSELS)

ch5_fig14_raw data

Sources: IVR, CCNR analysis
Note that six dry cargo vessels and four push and tug boats have an unknown year of construction.
Furthermore, 248 additional tanker vessels, 1,918 dry cargo vessels and 486 push and tug boats are recorded in the IVR database as being registered in countries other than Rhine countries.

According to the Danube Commission data, which do not consider the German Danube fleet, most of the dry cargo fleet was built during the 1961-1970 and 1981-1990 periods. For the push and tugboat category, most vessels were built in the 1961-1970 and 1991-2000 periods. According to this same source, Romania holds the largest number of vessels within the Danubian fleet in every vessel category, followed by Hungary and Serbia. The German Danube fleet in 2022 was composed of 95 dry cargo vessels, 30 liquid cargo vessels, and 30 push and tug vessels.

FIGURE 15: COMMISSIONING YEARS FOR THE DANUBE FLEET OVER TIME (NUMBER OF INLAND VESSELS)*

ch5_fig15_raw data

Sources: 2023 Danube Commission yearbook of statistics, CCNR analysis
* Without German Danube fleet
Commissioning year is unknown for several vessels. This can explain the differences between the numbers for each fleet type in this graph compared to the total number of vessels registered in the Danubian fleet.

CAPACITY MONITORING

DRY CARGO VESSELS

Compared to 2024, goods transport on inland waterways has declined in 2025, mostly driven by the decrease in transports of iron ore and construction materials. In turn, other segments have grown, notably coal transport. Nevertheless, the overarching trend since 2020 goes downward.
Regarding the evolution of the fleet, the decrease in the number of ships with a capacity below 1,000 t went on as capacity is shifting towards larger vessels. Although smaller ships offer flexibility during low water levels, they suffer from the shortage of skippers and benefit less from economies of scale than large vessels.
Regarding water levels, 2025 has been globally favourable in comparison with the last decade as there were only a few days below the equivalent water level on most parts of the Rhine. Only the stretches upstream from Kaub faced more than a week of low water levels. This still represents more days than in 2024, but way less than the extremes of 2018 or 2022. For the vessels with a capacity above 2,000 t, low waters lifted the capacity use above the levels in 2024, at the same level as in 2023. For vessels of a capacity below 2,000 t, the continuous shrinking of the fleet combined drove the capacity usage upwards.
The most important structural trend remains the energy transition. The coal rebound in 2025 is an outlier, and the decline will continue as power generation and industry are decarbonising. Moreover, the industrial transformation of Europe may change cargo composition with different flows of scrap and project cargo. It is expected that low water level episodes will increase due to climate change. Therefore, the sector should concentrate its efforts in developing a fleet adapted to the energy transition and climate change

FIGURE 16: DEGREE OF CAPACITY UTILISATION OF DRY CARGO VESSELS IN THE RHINE AREA

ch5_fig16_raw data

Sources: Panteia calculation based on data provided by the CCNR.

LIQUID CARGO VESSELS

The liquid cargo transport experienced a decline compared to 2024. This was caused by the relatively mild winter, which reduced heating oil demand compared to previous years. The lower industrial competitiveness of the chemical sector played another role.
Regarding the fleet, the number of vessels with a capacity below 2,000 t is decreasing at a similar rate as for dry cargo vessels. On the other hand, the number of large vessels is growing. Although they reduce unit costs, larger vessels are more vulnerable to low water periods for which liquid cargo is more sensitive.
The overall transition in the fleet composition greatly reduces the available capacity for vessels below 2,000 t. This results in an increased capacity usage for the smaller tankers. For vessels above 2,000 t, the capacity use is at the level of 2023, which faced similar hydrological conditions. As a result, the average capacity utilisation rate of the total fleet is slightly higher than in 2023 due to the continued decrease of smaller tankers but it remains way below the dry years of 2022 and 2018.
The apparent spare capacity of the liquid cargo segment will nevertheless be useful to absorb the impact in case of prolonged low water levels. Regarding the demand, the electrification and decarbonisation trends will decrease the mineral oil transport. At the same time, the energy transition will create alternative liquid and gas transport. This may not fully offset the decline in fossil fuels in the short run, but it changes the composition of liquid cargo transport demand. Finally, it is expected that geopolitical disruptions will become more frequent and will have a significant impact on liquid cargo flows particularly.

FIGURE 17: DEGREE OF CAPACITY UTILISATION OF LIQUID CARGO VESSELS IN THE RHINE AREA

ch5_fig17_raw data

Sources: Panteia calculation based on data provided by the CCNR.

INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE INLAND NAVIGATION FLEET CONTRIBUTING TO REDUCING EMISSIONS

In accordance with the mandate given by the Mannheim Ministerial Declaration of 17 October 2018, the CCNR adopted in December 2021 a roadmap for reducing emissions from inland navigation,³⁰ which called for the creation of a database on innovative vessels.
In order to develop such a database, available data on innovative inland navigation vessels was compiled within the framework of the Inspection Regulation Committee of the CCNR, with the following scope:
– innovative vessels understood as being designed to emit less air pollutants or greenhouse gases than a conventional diesel vessel;
– freight and passenger vessels with a Rhine Vessel Inspection Certificate or a Union certificate;³¹
– vessels planned, under construction, in service or cancelled projects.
Even if biofuels contribute to reducing – under certain conditions – greenhouse gas emissions, vessels running on biofuels were not considered in the analysis, as switching to biofuels does not call for a specific design or technical adaptation at the level of the vessel. Also, diesel electric vessels are not considered innovative vessels.
For the purpose of this analysis, 78 vessels were considered: 56 freight vessels, 19 day-trip passenger vessels, 1 cabin vessel, and 2 training vessels.³² The vast majority of the innovative vessels sail with a Rhine Vessel Inspection Certificate. They are mainly new-built vessels (around 85%) but also retrofitted vessels (around 15%).
The number of innovative vessels in service represents less than 0.2% of the entire inland navigation fleet in Europe, the majority of which were built, retrofitted or planned from 2021 onwards. Three came into service in 2025 and one is in the shipyard. Overall, 11 are still considered as projects (both newbuilt and retrofit).
Several projects were foreseen to be built in 2025 and 2026 but suffered some delays. Indeed, such innovative projects involve complex technologies which are often applied for the first time on inland navigation vessels, making the risk of delay quite likely. Delays are generally linked to the manufacturers of such technologies being unfamiliar with maritime/inland navigation legislation, underestimation of complexity, lack of overall project management and financial issues.
Several projects were also cancelled before being finalised.³³ The reasons behind the cancellation of a project could be of different natures, such as economic (not enough demand, lack of subsidies), organisational (withdrawal of a partner) or even technical (safety or operational issues). Most of the projects cancelled were LNG propelled vessels. Indeed, fossil LNG is no longer considered as a long-term option, notably for reducing carbon emissions in inland navigation. The other vessels which were cancelled or removed from service were hydrogen or methanol propelled vessels. In addition, two in-service vessels using fuel cells were retrofitted back to use either diesel/battery, or primarily diesel.
This analysis does not consider the evolution of the number of innovative vessels outside the scope of this database.
These innovative vessels run or are expected to run on – as the primary energy carrier³⁴ – batteries, liquefied natural gas (LNG), methanol, compressed hydrogen (GH2) mainly in combination with batteries, liquefied hydrogen (LH2), sodium borohydride with batteries (NaBH4) or ammonia (NH3). The mandate relating to battery-powered vessels was revised in 2025 – only vessels that operate entirely on batteries during normal use are counted, although emergency generators are permitted. The change in terms excludes six hybrid electric/diesel vessels previously included in the list.

FIGURE 18: NUMBER OF VESSELS USING ALTERNATIVE ENERGIES AS ONE OF THE MAIN ENERGY CARRIERS *

ch5_fig18_raw data

Source: CCNR database
* The category “Hydrogen” includes vessels that use or are likely to use fuel cells for propulsion.
The category “Methanol” includes three vessels operating with a combustion engine and one foreseen to operate with a fuel cell system. The category “Batteries” includes vessels sailing solely on batteries. ICE = Internal Combustion Engine; FC = Fuel Cells.

Figure 18 above reflects the alternative energies used as one of the main energy carriers (for vessel propulsion). It often comes with other energy carriers onboard, notably diesel engines for redundancy purposes or as an emergency power source. The majority of the vessels that run or plan to run on hydrogen usually use hydrogen in compressed form (GH2) as it is cheaper than the liquefied form. Among those using GH2, only one aims at employing it as the sole energy carrier, while the remaining 12 also have battery and/or diesel drivetrains. In other words, it is anticipated that different (modular) options for zero-emission powertrains, using mixes of energy sources/fuels, will play a role in achieving the ambitious emission reduction objectives set at the international level. This is confirmed by the profile of the innovative vessels (in service, under construction or project), the majority of which use multiple energy carriers (approximately 65%).
Moreover, there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution for achieving energy transition. The choice of an appropriate emission reduction technology depends on several factors, which include the sailing profile of the vessels, their type, the market segment in which they operate, but also the related technical constraints.
This is reflected in the following figure, showing how innovative applications find their way into the inland navigation sector.

FIGURE 19: DISTRIBUTION OF INNOVATIONS PER VESSEL TYPE AND PRIMARY ENERGY CARRIER³⁵

ch5_fig19_raw data

Most of these innovative vessels are equipped with a combustion engine as their main energy converter (40), of which 29 are also equipped with an electric motor. This is a positive evolution which should facilitate a modular system approach. Indeed, the integration of batteries or fuel cell systems in existing vessels requires a vessel to be equipped with an electric motor in the first place. Twenty-six vessels operate solely with battery electric propulsion systems or can rely on batteries alone for propulsion and 16 operate with fuel cell systems. It should be highlighted that three vessels are designed to use swappable battery containers.