Forstering cooperation in inland waterway networks : a gaming and simulation approach

Inland waterway transport is an important economic activity in the Netherlands and in Europe. Especially in the hinterland transport of containers, inland shipping is expected to form the backbone of a multimodal transport system. To support and strengthen the inland waterway industry in the Netherlands, the Dutch Government conducted a stimulus program called Impuls Dynamic Traffic Management Waterways. As part of this stimulus program, research was carried out into the economic structure of the inland waterway transport industry, and the potential for cooperation in certain geographical areas in the hinterland. To support the development of new logistics concepts for inland waterway transport, we developed a simulator, in which market parties can develop new transport and logistics concepts, and investigate the impact of implementing these concepts. Several gaming sessions with industry representatives were conducted for six of the main geographical areas in the Dutch waterway system. From the sessions, we can conclude that further cooperation is possible in certain geographical areas, which can result in a concept that can prove to be beneficial for the partners in the transport network, as well as their customers. A second conclusion is that the combination of simulation and gaming in an interactive workshop setting proved to be a very effective way to stimulate discussions on innovations in the inland waterway transportation sector.