Decarbonisation of inland waterway transport requires reliable estimates of propulsion energy use to support the design of zero-emission bunkering infrastructure. Existing approaches rely on averaged or static representations of energy demand, which fail to capture how vessel operations and waterway conditions interact along a corridor. As a result, peak energy requirements and their spatial concentration are systematically underestimated, leading to suboptimal infrastructure planning.

To address this, the study reconstructs vessel movements along the Rotterdam-Basel corridor using empirical trip data and observed hydrodynamic conditions for 2024. A discrete-event simulation is used to represent vessel operations, and battery-electric and hydrogen propulsion systems are evaluated under identical traffic and environmental conditions.

The results show that energy demand is a state-dependent outcome that varies along the corridor rather than a fixed vessel characteristic. Hydrodynamic properties, in particular current velocity, create a spatially heterogeneous demand pattern in which distinct waterway segments consistently concentrate energy use. Under adverse current velocities, these segments exhibit non-linear increases in propulsion requirements and define the upper bounds of corridor energy demand.

These findings show that average-based approaches fail to capture corridor-level properties and underestimate the infrastructure required to ensure operational feasibility. Corridor performance is governed by recurrent high-demand segments rather than mean energy use, suggesting that bunkering infrastructure planning should account for these recurrent high-demand locations rather than rely only on uniform spacing along the corridor. ... Read more

Inland waterway transport (IWT) is one of Europe’s most energy-efficient freight modes, requiring far less energy per tonne-kilometre than road or rail. Yet, it still contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Under the European Union (EU) commitment to climate neutrality by 2050, transitioning IWT to zero- emission (ZE) operation has become a key but complex systemic challenge. IWT system performance is shaped by fluctuating water levels, which affect navigability, vessel loading capacity, and energy consumption, as well as by infrastructure constraints and an ageing, heterogeneous fleet. Addressing these challenges requires an integrated approach linking multiple systems, domains, and spatial and temporal scales. A digital twin can provide such a framework by integrating logistics, infrastructure constraints, environmental conditions, fleet composition, operational dynamics, and energy systems. This enables stakeholders to assess operational, tactical, and strategic decisions within a consistent digital environment.

Addressing these challenges requires an integrated approach linking multiple systems, domains, and spatial and temporal scales. A digital twin can provide such a framework by integrating logistics, infrastructure constraints, environmental conditions, fleet composition, operational dynamics, and energy systems. This enables stakeholders to assess operational, tactical, and strategic decisions within a consistent digital environment. ... Read more

Inland waterway transport (IWT) is increasingly recognized as a cleaner, more efficient alternative to road transport for freight movement. However, the successful adoption of zero-emission fuelsparticularly hydrogen and battery power-depends on the strategic location and capacity of bunkering and charging stations. This extended abstract presents a multi-stage framework that combines simulation and mixed-integer optimization to identify where and how these stations should be deployed. First, a simulation model estimates the fuel consumption of vessels under varied waterway conditions, vessel dimensions, and hydrodynamic influences. Next, an optimization module, modeled within the supply chain, aims to minimize capital and operating expenses while ensuring sufficient fuel availability. Strategically placing multi-fuel stations in high-demand locations reduces infrastructure redundancy and ensures flexible operations. This study underlines the critical role of well-planned bunkering infrastructures and highlights the potential for future expansions in zeroemission vessel networks. ... Read more

A key challenge in the energy transition for Inland Water Transport is the functional design of bunker networks and first-order dimensioning of individual bunker stations. A fundamental ingredient for this is an improved understanding of how upstream energy supply (‘well-to-bunker-station’) and downstream demand (‘bunker-station-to-tank’) may interconnect. In this paper we discuss an approach to the design of bunkering networks that takes logistic modelling to estimate network scale energy demand as a starting point. Depending on the vessels that use the network and the anticipated fuel mix for the overall fleet, logistical modelling may be used to estimate the magnitude of the energy demand along the network. Estimates of the operational range of vessels per energy carrier help to estimate maximum bunker station inter-distances. Insight into the potential supply chains that connect the source of each energy carrier to a physical bunker facility is needed to close the loop. Energy carriers may be needed on board in a gaseous or liquid form, or in the form of electrons. Transfer may take place in the form of loading (e.g., filling the fuel tank, charging the battery pack) or swapping (e.g., exchanging fuel containers, exchanging battery containers). Depending on the energy carrier, transfer method(s) and demand quantities, functional designs of bunker stations (in terms of required system elements and their order-of-magnitude dimensions) can be made. Depending on service level requirements both the dimensions of individual bunker stations and their spread over the network may be optimized. Key contribution of this work is a thorough overview of aspects that play a role in the design of bunker infrastructure for the decarbonisation of inland shipping. Based on this overview steps for further research are recommended. ... Read more