Samenvatting

The inland shipping industry contributes substantially to the trade relations between the Netherlands and Germany. The industry is different from other transport modes (rail, road and air) in that ships are more environmentally friendly and cost-effective. Yet, it faces many structural problems that require sustainable measures. Governmental cuts resulting in delays in waterway maintenance, a fractured representation of the industry, a general resistance towards sharing information and a skewed distribution of power between the market players sabotage effective cooperation that could solve many of the aforementioned problems.
The central research question of this paper is: Should there be a market regulation for the inland shipping industry in the Netherlands and Germany? To answer this question, it should be identified what the industry looks like in both countries, what the problems are, what the European Union does and what possible solutions are. Several people have been interviewed to answer the central question, while at the same time they provided the author with useful background information and their vision on the inland shipping industry.
The inland shipping industry lacks a coherent approach towards solving their problems, despite the efforts of representative organizations. Two main problems have been identified: overcapacity and opacity.
The market has a structural overcapacity and is dominated by too much supply (too many ships) and not enough demand (not enough cargo to be transported). The causes for the structural overcapacity can be found in financial motives when the economy was flourishing and a laid-back approach by the banks, granting loans to companies that did not have a decent business plan. The banks are now faced with highly financed vessels and a difficult market situation which makes it nearly impossible for skippers to pay back their debts. A solution would be to demolish ships, but this is a delicate subject on which no European consensus among representative organizations exists. Another solution could be to reintroduce the old-for-new rule, under which a new ship can only be built when an old one is demolished. Another solution can be found in more cooperation between skippers but European regulations have to be followed. Private initiatives could be the key solution to nearly all of the problems. Although it has its disadvantages for transporters, intermediaries and skippers, the advantages prevail. Finally, sustainability could help the inland shipping industry to maintain and/or improve their image as an innovative industry.
The problem of opacity has developed over the years and many elements have contributed to this, including a reluctant stance of skippers regarding sharing information, an unbalanced power structure between the market players, and a splintered representation of the industry. Possible solutions to this problem can be found in creating a uniform method to calculate the cost price and entrepreneurial trainings that could give the skipper more information on how to manage his company and, consequently, receive better tariffs.
The importance of the inland shipping industry to the European Union is unmistakable when looking at the amount of initiatives and ideas the European Commission has proposed, often in cooperation with the representative organizations of the Netherlands and Germany. The problems the inland shipping industry faces today call for a solution that will prevent these events from reemerging in the future. Sustainable solutions in combination with effective cooperation could provide leeway for an innovative mode of transport, able to compete with other modes of transport such as rail or road.