Cargo Shipping on the Oder and Vistula? More Obstacles Than Benefits - For Now
- Oprac. M.K.
- Kategoria: English zone
Instead of reaching Gliwice, one barge had to reroute to Szczecin. Another experienced a delay lasting several months. Water levels and infrastructure limitations make it nearly impossible to plan reliable river freight transport in Poland. These are the key findings from a pilot project conducted by researchers from the Łukasiewicz – Poznań Institute of Technology and the University of Gdańsk.
If barges sail with cargo along the Rhine, and our ancestors once floated grain and timber down to Gdańsk, why not try inland waterway transport in Poland? That was the central question behind the international CRISTAL research project, which aims to boost the share of freight carried by inland waterways across Europe.
Poland has approximately 3,680 km of inland waterways officially classified as navigable. Polish researchers chose the country’s two largest rivers — the Oder and the Vistula — for testing. So far, they have completed three barge voyages with varying cargo loads; a fourth is currently underway.
Smart Buoys and Smart Planning
Before launching the pilot, researchers installed specially designed buoys on the Vistula River, developed by the Łukasiewicz – Poznań Institute of Technology. Equipped with sensors, these buoys collect data on key navigational parameters such as bridge clearance, water level, and current speed.
These smart buoys could feed information into the SCMS system (which supports transport route planning across different modes), which would then share the data with vessels, infrastructure managers, or logistics operators.
Delays, Detours, and Disruptions
The pilot voyages highlighted the many challenges of inland waterway freight in Poland.
In the first trial, a barge was meant to travel from Antwerp to Gliwice via the Oder Waterway. However, near Berlin, the crew learned that the Lipki lock — a key point en route to Gliwice — remained closed for extended renovation. As a result, the voyage ended prematurely in Szczecin instead of reaching its intended destination in Silesia.
The second voyage along the Vistula to Gdańsk dragged on for several months. The barge departed in early November 2024, but low water levels and ongoing work at the Włocławek dam stranded it there for three months. By the time it reached Gdańsk in February 2025, the Siennicki Bridge was under repair, blocking access to the unloading terminal in the port. The vessel had to exit into the Bay of Gdańsk — but first required special clearance, which took a week to obtain.
The only voyage completed without incident was from Gdańsk to Płock.
We can already see how difficult it is to operate inland transport in Poland. The Oder performs better than the Vistula, which requires substantial investment to improve water flow. Low water levels — caused by this year’s drought and broader climate change — make navigation hazardous. Captains report that their vessels frequently scrape the riverbed. Our journey between Włocławek and Toruń faced constant issues due to shallow water in this part of the Vistula - explains Marta Waldmann, coordinator of the CRISTAL project at Łukasiewicz – Poznań Institute of Technology.
In March, a barge left Gdynia bound for Płock, carrying oversized cargo for a company awaiting it at a specially equipped unloading terminal. It’s moving slowly — but thus far, without disruptions.
Ironically, there are clients interested in using inland waterway transport for their shipments. But with this level of unpredictability, as shown in our pilots, their concerns are entirely valid - comments Marta Waldmann.
The main goal of the CRISTAL project is to increase the share of freight transported by inland waterways in Europe by 20%, while achieving at least 80% reliability. River transport is low-emission and could help the EU meet its climate neutrality targets. CRISTAL is co-financed by the European Union.
Source: Łukasiewicz Research Network – Poznań Institute of Technology