Welcome to this special issue of Civil Engineering on waterborne transport.
Exactly 5 years ago, when I was honorary editor of this journal, we published a special issue on ‘integrated transport’ which, as my colleagues at Pianc – the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure – were quick to point out, failed to mention waterborne transport. In my defence the issue focused on UK inland transport, which since the demise of the country's canal traffic a century or more ago, was primarily about road and rail integration.
Waterborne transport, however, remains fundamental to the global economy. While the proportion of freight carried by inland waterways is relatively modest – with 6% in Europe, 9% in the USA and 11% in China – the unrivalled efficiency of sea transport means that 90% of all world trade is moved on water. In Britain, 20% of domestic freight and 95% of international freight is carried by ship.
Furthermore, waterborne transport has a lower environmental impact per freight tonne than any other existing transport mode. It thus offers the most sustainable option for meeting the world's ever increasing demand for transport capacity. Extensive new port and channel infrastructure – including terminals, berths, ramps, cranes, breakwaters, buoys, lights and locks – are being planned and built by civil engineers throughout the world.
The long history and diversity of waterborne transport is perhaps most eloquently conveyed by English poet-laureate John Masefield in his 1902 poem Cargoes:
Quinquireme of Nineveh from distant Ophir Rowing home to haven in sunny Palestine, With a cargo of ivory, And apes and peacocks, Sandalwood, cedarwood, and sweet white wine.
Stately Spanish galleon coming from the Isthmus, Dipping through the Tropics by the palm-green shores, With a cargo of diamonds, Emeralds, amethysts, Topazes, and cinnamon and gold moidores.
Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack Butting through the Channel in the mad March days, With a cargo of Tyne coal, Road-rail, pig-lead, Firewood, iron-ware, and cheap tin trays.
Until relatively recently, overland travel in most parts of the world was dangerous, difficult and slow. Ships of many kinds have been transporting goods and cultures across the oceans of the world and along the rivers and canals of the continents for centuries. It is no coincidence that most major cities are next to navigable water. Although other forms of transport have emerged over the past 200 years, sometimes eclipsing the pre-eminence of water, anyone standing close to a modern container ship, tanker or bulk carrier cannot fail to be aware that waterborne transport is still the engine of international trade.
This special issue updates and extends Masefield's vision into the twenty-first century. After an introduction by Eric Van den Eede (2010) to the global promotional role played by Pianc over the past 125 years, the economic opportunities and contribution of the world's major continental waterways – as an environmentally friendly, safe and cost-effective alternative to overland transport – are presented by Bruce Lambert (2010). Cécile Tournaye et al. (2010) then provide an overview of inland water transport in Europe, after which Wu Peng et al. (2010) discuss the stimulation of economic growth in central China resulting from improved navigation on the Yangtze River.
Alfred Baird (2010) then looks at seaborne transport in a new way, arguing that the ships themselves are an integral part of the transport infrastructure. Certainly there is an increasingly blurred boundary between the design of floating infrastructure and commercial vessels. David Byrne (2010) goes on to consider how the development of ships has responded to economic demands, what the future might hold and how this will impact on port infrastructure development.
The ship-to-shore interface is an essential part of the transport system and, as an example, Stephen Osborn (2010) presents the design issues for ship-to-shore linkspans for roll-on–roll-off ferries – and how they have evolved since the Ramsgate, UK accident in 1994. The increase in ship dimensions and the demand for easy port access are leading to longer, deeper navigation channels through shallow water, creating further civil engineering challenges, as described by Stephen Grey et al. (2010).
All waterborne transport activity is underpinned by international research, development and cooperation. As reported in the first paper (Van den Eede, 2010), the professional intergovernmental organisation Pianc was founded in 1885 to share experience and expertise. Through a matrix of international working groups and quadrennial congresses, it provides guidance for the design and operation of infrastructure for ports and navigable waterways worldwide. Peter Hawkes et al. (2010) round off this issue with a summary of Pianc's recently completed review of the potential impacts of climate change on waterborne transport, concluding that it is a resilient form of transport which will continue to flourish and serve the needs of world trade in the decades to come.
My sincere thanks go to the authors for writing the papers in this issue and to the referees for reviewing them. I hope they serve to highlight the huge importance of waterborne transport to society as well as the exciting challenges and opportunities it offers the civil engineering profession.
is UK government chief delegate to Pianc and assessed all papers in this issue in conjunction with Stephen Cork, chairman of Pianc UK section and technical director at HR Wallingford
Acknowledgement
Cargoes is reproduced with the kind permission of The Society of Authors as literary representative of the estate of John Masefield.
