The economic and environmental viability of green and autonomous ships in inland shipping ecosystems

This paper explores the potential of using green, autonomous ships in revitalising inland shipping in Europe against the backdrop of declining market share and the dominance of "economy-of-scale" in waterborne freight transportation. It assesses the economic and environmental viability of converting freight from road- to waterborne modalities in broader business ecosystems, specifically along the Rotterdam-Ghent corridor. The analysis leverages operational and commercial insights from logistics firms, ports and terminal operators, combined with data on European goods flows by road, and accounts for operational, financial and environmental variables including realistic scenario building and ecosystem implications. Findings indicate that inland shipping in general and green, autonomous shipping in particular offer both economically and environmentally viable alternatives to road transport. The study calls for further research into green, autonomous ships from an ecosystem perspective as a potential solution to current challenges in sustainable freight transportation.