3.8% increase in Belgian inland navigation in 2024
In 2024, inland waterway vessels have transported a total of 166 million tonnes of goods, representing an increase of 3.8% compared to 2023. This is what emerged from the new results of Statbel, the Belgian statistical office.
Container transport by inland waterway vessels, on the other hand, continued its downward trend. In 2024, 15.6 million tonnes of goods were transported by container, representing a decrease of 2.5% compared to 2023.
In the fourth quarter of 2024, inland waterway vessels have transported 42.6 million tonnes of goods on Belgian inland waterways instead of 41.2 million tonnes in the third quarter of 2024. This is an increase of 3.4% compared to the previous quarter and an increase of 12.7% compared to the fourth quarter of 2023.
The container transport by inland waterway vessels fell to 3.7 million tonnes, i.e. a decrease of 4.7% compared to the previous quarter but an increase of 2.7% compared to the fourth quarter of 2023.
These figures relate to the inland navigation of all ships on Belgian inland waterways, including those from abroad.
| Quarter | Transported weight | Tonne-km | Transported weight per container |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018/Q1 | 39,348,692 | 2,052,342,115 | 5,741,358 |
| 2018/Q2 | 40,619,511 | 2,103,234,667 | 5,678,761 |
| 2018/Q3 | 35,978,379 | 1,874,090,340 | 5,070,671 |
| 2018/Q4 | 36,025,810 | 1,956,109,160 | 4,451,900 |
| 2019/Q1 | 38,026,266 | 1,941,049,596 | 5,215,364 |
| 2019/Q2 | 39,983,550 | 1,979,761,704 | 5,461,290 |
| 2019/Q3 | 38,371,338 | 1,910,982,385 | 5,365,233 |
| 2019/Q4 | 39,314,170 | 1,934,711,151 | 5,334,016 |
| 2020/Q1 | 39,684,955 | 1,795,401,808 | 5,321,651 |
| 2020/Q2 | 38,669,948 | 1,806,398,556 | 4,951,470 |
| 2020/Q3 | 38,253,924 | 1,814,393,276 | 5,362,097 |
| 2020/Q4 | 39,522,447 | 1,971,835,077 | 5,663,688 |
| 2021/Q1 | 39,111,167 | 1,961,175,897 | 5,547,540 |
| 2021/Q2 | 42,203,807 | 2,146,359,164 | 5,886,695 |
| 2021/Q3 | 41,612,502 | 2,034,123,285 | 5,756,399 |
| 2021/Q4 | 43,235,012 | 2,038,372,119 | 5,216,196 |
| 2022/Q1 | 42,617,037 | 1,985,472,371 | 5,122,911 |
| 2022/Q2 | 42,053,480 | 1,970,140,468 | 5,164,952 |
| 2022/Q3 | 38,516,883 | 1,796,776,265 | 4,168,805 |
| 2022/Q4 | 39,835,831 | 1,806,648,678 | 4,526,526 |
| 2023/Q1 | 41,797,662 | 1,821,785,809 | 4,441,915 |
| 2023/Q2 | 41,608,109 | 1,820,486,909 | 4,150,624 |
| 2023/Q3 | 38,796,979 | 1,660,159,882 | 3,802,151 |
| 2023/Q4 | 37,786,948 | 1,649,076,430 | 3,649,292 |
| 2024/Q1 | 39,873,791 | 1,702,602,845 | 3,943,528 |
| 2024/Q2 | 42,322,988 | 1,820,061,687 | 4,014,000 |
| 2024/Q3 | 41,198,870 | 1,825,545,698 | 3,933,459 |
| 2024/Q4 | 42,600,784 | 1,921,168,573 | 3,748,332 |
| Source (mention obligatoire) : Statbel (Direction générale Statistique - Statistics Belgium) *TEU:Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit. |
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Purpose and brief description
Inland water transport according to the period, the origin, the destination, the nature of the goods and the nature of the ship. Evolution of the Belgian inland waterway fleet (number, capacity, age, etc. of ships). Evolution of the Belgian inland waterway network.
Population
Transport of goods by inland waterway vessels between two ports of a national territory irrespective of the nationality of the vessel.
Periodicity
Quarterly
Release calendar
Availability of the results: 5 months after the reference period.
Remarks
In 2007, this method was adapted to a new Eurostat regulation concerning the goods classification. Therefore, the figures for 2007 and after can no longer be compared with the previous years.
Legal reference
Commission Regulation (EC) No 425/2007 of 19 April 2007 implementing Regulation (EC) No 1365/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on statistics of goods transport by inland waterways.