DHL Amsterdam, combined transport: boat & bike
Posted on October 22, 2008 by Matthieu Desiderio
Around 25 percent of the city of Amsterdam consists of navigable waterways (65 miles of canals) thus making it the most watery city in the world. DHL took advantage of this opportunity… and developed its “Floating Distribution Centre.”
A DHL Truck on a canal bridge, Amsterdam, NL
What’s that boat?
Amsterdam’s first floating distribution centre was launched on October 23, 1997 by the Dutch Minister of Transport. An initiative of the courier company DHL Worldwide Express. As of today, the DHL boat is the only cargo vessel on thsse canals is a package boat belonging to DHL. DHL financed the boat and other facilities. However, Mokum Mariteam recently started the operation of an electrically powered cargo boat.
The DHL Boat on call (1) |
The DHL Boat on call (2) |
The DHL-boat sails through Amsterdam’s canals. It is the base centre for bicycle courriers thus leading to less vans, small or bigger trucks for final deliveries. The distribution centre employs 4 people on the boat, and serves 20 bicycle couriers. It helps minimizing traffic congestion and pollution in city centre. At the beginning, the project was started by a testing period of 18 months and Amsterdam authorities expected to attract more companies to operate such services.
“DHL converted a tourist boat to a Floating Distribution Centre that is linked on-line with bicycle couriers. The boat sails through the canals of Amsterdam and serves 20 bicycle couriers, which are equipped with telecommunication devices that are online with computers on board replacing the existing DHL’s delivery vans that were driving through the centre of Amsterdam”
Source: European Local Transport Information Service, ELTIS
The DHL Boat on call: delivery bikes view, Amsterdam, NL (1)
What are the benefits?
Early figures said that the boat removes 10 cars a day or 150,000 vehicle-kilometres and 12,000 litres of diesel per year. It reduces traffic jams in the city centre (no vehicle stopped in narrow streets during deliveries).
From DHL’s point of view, the boat+bike service has a high flexibility of supply, a positive image, etc. This project seems to be very successful, since it is still in operation more than 10 years after the experiment started.
The DHL boat manoeuvering (1) |
The DHL boat manoeuvering (2) |
The DHL boat manoeuvering (3) |
The DHL boat manoeuvering (4) |
Other initiatives?
Yes, there are. Amsterdam is not the first city in which an good idea from DHL is implemented:
- In Dublin, (Ireland), since 1995, a DHL-bus drives walking couriers for deliveries;
- in Venice, a DHL-gondola delivers goods through the canals…
Such projects are practical for cities with an historic centre and traffic congestion… why don’t we see it in Paris or London?
References
- Photo Credits: Matthieu Desiderio, Transport Expertise, Oct. 6, 2008
- Synthesis: Alternative ways for distributing goods in Amsterdam (The Netherlands), ELTIS: here
- Report: A review of green logistics schemes used in cities around the world, Nikolas Geroliminis and Carlos F. Daganzo, Aug. 1, 2005: here
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