page_title: Navigability
section_title: Advantages of inland water transport systems
hierarchical_section_title: Navigability / Advantages of inland water transport systems
context_page_description: A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and slow enough for a vessel to pass. Preferably there are few obstructions such as rocks or trees to avoid. Bridges must have sufficient clearance. High water speed may make a channel unnavigable. Waters may be unnavigable because of ice, particularly in winter. Navigability depends on context: a small river may be navigable by smaller craft, such as a motorboat or a kayak, but unnavigable by a cruise ship. Shallow rivers may be made navigable by the installation of locks that increase and regulate water depth, or by dredging.
context_section_description: Waterways provide enormous advantages as a mode of transport compared to land and air modes of transports.
  Cheaper capital cost – Nature has already done the initial engineering work for the transportation infrastructure, the cost of developing an inland waterway is 5-10% of the cost developing an equivalent railway or a four-lane expressway. This varies a lot, depending on whether the waterway is naturally navigable, whether only ports are needed, or whether a canal and locks are needed.
  Cheaper maintenance cost – The maintenance cost of an inland waterway is only 20% of the maintenance cost of an equivalent roadway. The main expenses associated with waterway maintenance include dredging and invasive species control.
  Greater fuel efficiency (low cost of transportation) for large freight – It is estimated that 1 liter of fuel can move 105 ton-km by inland water transport. Whereas the same amount of fuel can move only 85 ton-km by rail and 24 ton-km by road. By air, it is even less.
  Easy integration with sea transport – Inland water transport can easily integrated with Sea transport and hence it reduces the extra cost required for land-sea or air-sea transport interface infrastructure development. It also reduces the time taken to transfer the goods to and from sea transport vessels.
  Tourism – Inland water transport has the potential to play a role in the development of tourism, especially Eco-tourism.
  Safety – Undoubtedly, inland water transport is less risky as compared to other means of transport, mainly due to far less traffic and slower speeds.
caption: Port of Bratislava (Slovakia) at night.
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