PIANC Smart Rivers 2022

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Abstract : *(250~1000 words)

Purpose
Low water represents a major problem on inland waterways since it reduces the utilization of the barges and thus, hinders the economic viable transport of goods. The aim of this paper is to develop and evaluate new design options for barges for the economically viable navigation during low water periods on the Danube.

Design/methodology/approach
For the development and evaluation of new design options for barges, we followed a 4-step approach: First, data about locks, bridges and ports along the Rhine-Main-Danube corridor was collected and processed through a large-scale desktop and literature research. Second, we specified which waterways the barge should serve and for which goods the barge is needed. Third, we designed eight different designs which were visualised using naval architecture CAD. Fourth, we evaluated the different designs regarding possible construction materials, the respective investment costs as well as nautical consequences (e.g., draught and air draught).

Findings
The newly designed barges are designed for pallet-wide containers on the river stretch of the Danube between Enns (Austria) and Giurgiu (Romania) to enhance the utilization of hinterland transportation on inland waterways. These criteria and the infrastructural requirements of the Danube (step 1) resulted in eight different design options for low-water barges. A major finding is, that all eight design options were feasible for the transportation of containers in low water conditions, presenting different advantages and disadvantages. The different designs differ on the one hand in size (i.e. in length or width) and on the other hand in their construction and thus their draught and air draught. Furthermore, the costs for the different designs were calculated with regard to different construction materials.

Research limitations 
A limitation is that the barge designs are based on the infrastructural requirements of the Danube and therefore hardly can be transferred to other waterways without certain adaptations. Furthermore, the newly designed barges are designed for container transport at low water conditions. For the transportation of other types of goods, the designs have to be adapted.

Originality/value
The so-called "Danube Living Lab" was initiated in the framework of the European Horizon 2020 project “iw-net”. Various aspects are being analyzed, all of which should support the promotion of inland navigation on the Danube. One part of it is the creation of barge design options for low water conditions, tailored to the requirements of the Danube (e.g. bridge heights, locks etc.).

Acknowledgement
This research is part of the iw-net project and has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 861377

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