INTRODUCTION TO

LAND AND INLAND

WATERWAY
TRANSPORT

Mr. Egbe Philip

B-Tech. LTM, Msc. SCM

 TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE......................................................................................................... 2
INTRODUCTION TO INLAND WATERWAY TRANSPORT................................. 2
FORMS OF INLAND WATERWAY TRANSPORT ................................................. 5
DOCUMENTATION IN INLAND WATERWAY ..................................................... 9
Contents of Bill of Lading (BL) ................................................................................... 12
INTERNATIONAL RULE GOVERNING INLAND WATERWAY TRANSPORT
.................................................................................................................................. 13
CHAPTER TWO ...................................................................................................... 15
INTRODUCTION TO ROAD TRANSPORT ......................................................... 15
TYPES OF ROADS ................................................................................................. 16
INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION GOVERNING ROAD TRANSPORT .......... 18
CHAPTER THREE .................................................................................................. 20
INTRODUCTION TO RAIL TRANSPORT ........................................................... 20
TYPES OF RAILWAYS ........................................................................................... 21
INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION GOVERNING RAIL TRANSPORT ............ 22
Document under Land Transport .............................................................................. 23
Contents of Consignment note ..................................................................................... 24
Other Transport Document Used Under Land and Inland Waterway Transport ...... 25
OTHER ASPECTS ................................................................................................... 26

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 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION TO INLAND WATERWAY TRANSPORT

Inland waterway transport though is part of maritime transport, refers to

the movement of goods and people using inland water channels. The word

inland means that they are water bodies that are out of the seas and oceans

and are found closer to land. Inland waterway transport can also be define

as the transportation of goods and people through the various water bodies

found in inland such as rivers lakes. Inland waterway transport is one of the

most traditional modes of transport and the most under developed

especially in developing countries because most people see it as a primitive

mode of transportation meant for the peasant population.

Actors in Land and Inland Waterway Transport

 Consignee

 Consignor

 cargo owner

 carrier

 Shipper

 Cargo handler

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  Vessel owner

 vehicle owner

 Shipping company

 the government

Advantages of Inland Waterway Transport

 It leads to infrastructural development

Since it is a land based mode of transportation, it leads to construction of

good support structures to help boast it activities and consequently leading

to development of the area. For example, the construction of a river port to

support river activities will lead to infrastructural development of the said

area.

 Economic growth

Generally, the creation and expansion of inland water way channels will

lead to economic growth of that state/country. This is because, the creation

of transportation activities will give rise to several income generating

activities which will in turn increase economic growth.

 Startup cost is cheaper as compare to air transport

It has a very cheap startup cost as compared to air, sea and even rail

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transport. The cost of purchasing a canoe or badge is far lesser than that of

a ship, or Aircraft or a train. Making inland water way transportation easy

to startup.

 Cheaper running cost as compare to other modes

Inland water way transport has a cheaper cost of running it’s operations as

compared to air or road transport. That is, most of it Transport means do

not require high cost fuel or personnel to carry out operations.

 Less maintenance

It requires lesser maintenance of its vessels and water crafts like canoes as

compared air or road transport that requires constant maintenance of not

just the bus and cars but also the road.

 Environmentally friendly mode

As compared to air or road, it is the most environmentally friendly mode of

transportation at moves goods or persons with little or no pollution to the

atmosphere.

Disadvantages of Inland Waterway Transport

 Less security as compare to air transport

This mode of transportation is open to pilferage and other security threats

due to its open nature. It is easy to steal a boat in the rivers than hijack a
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ship in the high sea.

 Less flexibility as compare to road

Inland waterway transportation is not flexible and therefore cannot adapt to

changes that may occur in course of transportation as compared to road

transportation.

 It is easily affected by global warming

It is one of the most affected modes of transportation in recent years. This

is due to the nature of its waterways which are sometimes very shallow and

the least temperature changes may lead them to reduce their depths.

 It is slow as compare to air transport

It is a very slow maritime transportation way. Most of its Transport means

are slow in Transport and examples like Canoes are man powered meaning

they move depending on the equivalent man strength.

FORMS OF INLAND WATERWAY TRANSPORT

Here, we are going to be accessing the various ways in which people and

goods can be transported using inland water bodies. The forms of inland

waterway can also be referred to as the types.

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1. Lakes

A lake is a water body surrounded by land and in most developing

countries, lakes can be used to transport goods and persons from one place

to another. Examples of lakes in Cameroon include, lake Barombi, lake

Oku…

2. Rivers

These are water bodies that gets their rise from others (streams, creeks…)

and empty themselves in ocean or sea. A river can also be referred to as a

ribbon-like body of water that flows downhill from the force of gravity.

They are one of the most used ways of transporting goods and persons in

inland waterway transport examples include river Sanaga, mungo, wouri

and river manyu...

3. Flood plains

These are water bodies formed as a result of overflow major streams or

rivers. A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land

adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base

of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during

periods of high discharge. For example, the Waza-Logone flood plain in

the far north region of Cameroon. Though this form of inland water way is

not regularly used for transportation like others, in countries like India it is

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a major form for peasant rice farmers.

4. Estuaries

An estuary can simply be defined as an arm of branch of the sea/ocean that

flows to the mouth of a river. Other Authors define estuaries as a partially

enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams

flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Example include

the wouri estuary

7. Canals

These are well directed (canalized) water bodies that follow a particular

path. An example of a canal is the Panama Canal. For a canal to properly

function we need constant flow of water and for this purpose, locks are

been built that hold that hold the water in times of surplus and release it in

times of shortage.

Various Means Available In Inland Waterway Transport

 Canoes

It is a plank constructed vessel use in the transportation of small quantities

of goods and people by inland waterways. In yester years some canoes

where however be formed by digging into trees.

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  Tugboats

These are types of boats use to move materials or other vessels in case

they are stuck. A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other

vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line.

 Ferries

These are large vessels use to transport cargo and passengers using inland

waterway bodies such as large rivers. A ferry is a vessel used to carry

passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water.

 Barges

These are free floating vessels with open sides use in the transportation of

goods in maritime transport. A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly

for river and canal transport of bulk goods.

Problems Related To Inland Waterway Transportation

Class work/Assignment

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DOCUMENTATION IN INLAND WATERWAY

The principal document used in that transportation of goods under inland

waterway transportation is the Bill of Lading although there are other

documents used for this purpose.

 Bill of Lading

A bill of lading is a transport document use under maritime transport for

the movement of goods from one place to another. This document however

covers every single mode of transport by water.

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Types of Bill Of Lading

 Dirty Bol

A bill of lading carrying a clause or endorsement by the master or mate of

the ship on which goods are carried to the effect that the goods (or their

packing) arrived for loading in a damaged condition.

 Clean Bol

A clean bill of lading is a document that declares there was no damage to or

loss of goods during shipment. The clean bill of lading is issued by the

product carrier after thoroughly inspecting all packages for any damage,

missing quantities, or deviations in quality.

 Multimodal Bol

A Multimodal Transport Bill of Lading is a bill of lading involving both

sea and other transport modes but, with different carriers involved at each

stage, e.g. another shipping company, a road haulier, a railway company,

an air transport company, an inland shipping company,

 House Bol

A House Bill of Lading (HBL) is a document created by a freight

forwarder or non-vessel operating company (NVOCC). The document is

an acknowledgment of the receipt of goods that are to be shipped. ... The

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document also includes specific information about the items shipped and

the value of the shipping contract.

 Container Bol

A document that gives information about the goods being transported in a

container or containers from one port to another: The container shipping

line issues a container bill of lading to the exporter in respect of his cargo.

Functions of a Bill Of Lading

 Receipt for goods

It acts as a receipt for the transportation of goods onboard the vessel.

 Proof of contract

It shows prove of carriage contract between the carrier or the shipping line

and the shipper.

 Document of Title

It functions as a document of tittle and shows ownership of the goods.

 Negotiable Instrument

It functions as a negotiable instrument meaning that this document for loan

or physical cash.

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It should be noted that the bill of Lading is issued by the shipping line or

carrier, signed be the consignor and forwarded expressly to the consignee

before the goods arrive. The document is principally backed by The Hague

Visby Rule which is the most accepted under sea transport.

Contents of Bill of Lading (BL)

The exact contents of a BOL will vary on a case-to-case basis, depending on the

type of BOL and/or the shipping and business terms. Some of the data you are

likely to find in a typical BOL are:

 Name and details of the shipping line

 Shipping bill number and date

 Name and address of the shipper as well as the receiver, along with

necessary contact details, plus a mention of the date to facilitate tracking

of the shipment

 Purchase order number or similar reference number; this makes it easier

to cross-refer the agreed terms and conditions (E.g. the delivery terms,

incidence of expense etc.)

 Special instructions – this is an important section as it has all the extra

service requests, terms and conditions, and reminders for the carriers

 Description of the goods in the shipment, giving details of the units, their

dimension, weight, content details etc.

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  Packaging details, which discloses information of the packaging and use

of cartons, crates, pallets, and drums used for shipping

 Freight classification, which determines the cost of the shipment

 Indication of hazardous shipment, if applicable

 Signature and initials of the concerned officer

INTERNATIONAL RULE GOVERNING INLAND WATERWAY

TRANSPORT

The Budapest Convention 2000

The Budapest convention on the contract for the carriage of goods by

inland waterways Adopted by the Diplomatic Conference Organized

Jointly by CCNR, the Danube Commission and UNECE, held in Budapest

from 25 September to 3 October 2000.

The convention 38 articles in total and the main objectives of the

convention are:

 Define a contract of carriage. In which it said that a “Contract of

carriage” means any contract, of any kind, whereby a carrier

undertakes against payment of freight to carry goods by inland

waterway;

 Defines the various parties in carriage of goods by inland waterway

and stated clearly their role.

 It stated clearly what the term delivery meant and provided

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 information on a successful delivery

 It also brought up the Carrier's liability in which he it said that the

carrier shall be responsible for the acts and omissions of his servants

and agents of whose services he makes use during the performance

of the contract of carriage, when such persons are acting within the

scope of their employment, as if such acts or omissions were his

own.

 It also said that carrier was liable for an amount not exceeding

666.67SDR per package.

Since its creation, the convention has however seen some modifications

but till date has not had a major amendment.

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 CHAPTER TWO

INTRODUCTION TO ROAD TRANSPORT

Road Transport refers to the movement of goods and persons through road

routes. This is considered the most used mode of transportation in recent

years at it dates way back as the beginning of civilization (post early man

era).

Advantages of Road Transport

 Flexibility

 Door to door services

 Less documentation

 It is cheaper as compare to air

 Cheap labor

 Interconnects other modes of transportation

Disadvantages of Road Transport

 it is open to traffic or congestion as compare to air transport

 Road transport is open to accidents unlike air transport

 It is less secure as compare to sea and air transport

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  It doesn’t work on a fixed time schedule as compare to air transport

 Least cargo carrying capacity as compare to rail and air

 Requires high maintenance of road routes as compare to sea and air

transport

TYPES OF ROADS

1. High way

It refers to an express road linking two urban cities. This is one of the most

supervised road types and generally the most dangerous for road users.

Example includes the national road No3 (Yaounde-Douala)

2. Rural Roads

These are the least constructed types of roads generally originating from an

enlargement of foot path. In developing areas it is the most common road

types; it serves for transportation of about 90% of raw materials in such

areas. Though not developed they actually play a great role as they link

most urban markets to rural agricultural sites.

3. Urban Roads

These are roads ways constructed in urban areas, they inter connect various

locations in this areas. Urban roads are typically characterized by the

presence of street lighting.

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4. Foot path

It is used by non-automobile owners in every state or city, developed or not

there is a place reserved for pedestrians. Generally most major roads we

have today originated from foot paths years before our existence.

Various Means Available Under Road Transport

 Trucks

 Cars

 Bikes

 Trailers

 Vans

 Buses

 Animals

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 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION GOVERNING ROAD

TRANSPORT

The CMR Convention 1956

The CMR Convention known as “Convention on the Contract for the

International Carriage of Goods by Road” is a United Nations convention

that was signed in Geneva on 19 May 1956. It relates to various legal

issues concerning transportation of cargo by road. CMR means

« Convention relative au contrat de transport international

de marchandises par route. » This convention had as objectives to:

 Defines the various parties in carriage of goods by road and stated

clearly their role.

 It introduced the CMR Consignment note as the principal document

used in the transportation of goods by road.

 It also most recently introduced an electronic consignment note to

suit 21th century transportation.

 It also brought up the Carrier's liability in which he it said that The

carrier shall be responsible for the acts and omissions of his servants

and agents of whose services he makes use during the performance

of the contract of carriage, when such persons are acting within the

scope of their employment, as if such acts or omissions were his

own.

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 It also said that carrier was liable for an amount not exceeding

8.33SDR per package.

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 CHAPTER THREE

INTRODUCTION TO RAIL TRANSPORT

Rail transport is a means of transferring passengers and goods on wheeled

vehicles running on rails, which are located on tracks. In contrast to road

transport, where the vehicles run on a prepared flat surface, rail vehicles

are directionally guided by the tracks on which they run.

Advantages of Rail Transport

 Functions on a fixed time schedule

 High carrying capacity

 Cheap over long distance

 Fast as compare to road transport

 Less congested as compare to road transport

Disadvantages of Rail Transport

 Less flexibility as compare to road

 High maintenance cost

 Expensive over short distance

 It doesn't offer door to door services

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 TYPES OF RAILWAYS

1. High speed railways

They are the fastest railway lines and can also be referred to as metro

railways. They are commonly found in very developed countries like

Tokyo and they are said to travel with the speed of light from one point of

origin to a point of destination.

2. Plate railways

These are old types of railways most commonly used for cargo

transportation. However in some developing countries they are still use to

transport passengers. The have a crisscrossing bars which through the rail

lines from origin to destination so as to keep the rail lines compact.

3. Mono railways

They are usually found in very developed areas just like the metro but as

supposed to metro railways, they have just a single rail line. They are one

of the most unique railways due to their single rail line nature as opposed to

others with two rail lines.

4. Mountain railways

They are railways found in mountainous areas. They are mostly seen in

developing countries and they have tooth-line crossing.

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 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION GOVERNING RAIL

TRANSPORT

The COTIF Convention 1980

The COTIF Convention known as “Convention on the Contract for the

International Carriage of Goods by Rail” was signed in Bern on 9 May

1980. It relates to various legal issues concerning transportation of cargo

by rail. COTIF means « Convention relative au Contrat de Transport

Internationaux Ferroviaires. » This convention had as objectives to:

 It introduced the Consignment note as the principal document used

in the transportation of goods by rail.

 It also brought up the Carrier's liability in which he it said that The

carrier shall be responsible for the acts and omissions of his servants

and agents of whose services he makes use during the performance

of the contract of carriage, when such persons are acting within the

scope of their employment, as if such acts or omissions were his

own.

 It also said that carrier was liable for an amount not exceeding

8.33SDR per package.

The convention has however had only a single modification notably in

1999 which it sought extend the convention to parts of the world since

the former was mostly based in Europe and Middle east.

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 Document under Land Transport

 Consignment Note

A consignment note is the principal document used in the transportation of

goods on land. When talking of land in this case we refer to both road and

rail. The consignment not is divided into two main branches, one for rail

and the other for road.

1. CMR Consignment Note: it is a transport document use in the

transportation of goods by road.

2. Rail Consignment Note: it is a principal document use in the

transportation of goods through railway. This document functions exactly

as that of road.

Functions of the Consignment Note

 It acts as a prove of contract of carriage of goods transported by land

(road, rail).

 It acts as a receipt of goods onboard the truck or train.

 It serves as a medium for calculation of freight rates fro

transportation of goods.

 Where necessary, it shows prove of insurance for the goods onboard

the train or road means.

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Contents of Consignment note

The exact contents of a C/N will vary on a case-to-case basis, depending on the

type of C/N and/or the shipping and business terms. Some of the data you are

likely to find in a typical C/N are:

 Name and details of the shipping line

 Dates

 Name and address of the shipper as well as the receiver, along with

necessary contact details, plus a mention of the date to facilitate tracking

of the shipment

 Purchase order number or similar reference number; this makes it easier

to cross-refer the agreed terms and conditions (E.g. the delivery terms,

incidence of expense etc.)

 Special instructions – this is an important section as it has all the extra

service requests, terms and conditions, and reminders for the carriers

 Description of the goods in the shipment, giving details of the units, their

dimension, weight, content details etc.

 Packaging details, which discloses information of the packaging and use

of cartons, crates, pallets, and drums used for shipping

 Freight classification, which determines the cost of the shipment

24
  Indication of hazardous shipment, if applicable

 Signature and initials of the concerned officer

Other Transport Document Used Under Land and Inland Waterway

Transport

 Passengers tickets

It is the principal document used in the transportation of persons by land

and inland waterway.

 Insurance certificate

It shows prove of contract of insurance to cover the goods where necessary.

It should however be noted that insurance is a obligatory for international

transportation and facultative for national.

 Invoices

It is commercial document issued by the seller to the buyer indicating all

sales transactions between both parties.

 Shipper declaration of goods

It is document issued by the shipper declaring the nature and sometimes

worth of the goods that are being transported.

 IOS certificate

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An IOS certificate is a document issued by international standardization

organization to attest for the quality of goods onboard the vehicle or vessel.

 Certificate of origin

 Shippers instructions to the carrier

This document shows clearly the instructions given by the consignor or

shipper to the carrier as per the goods.

OTHER ASPECTS

1. Road Haulage: hauling refers to the movement of bulk cargo.

Therefore Road haulage refers to the movement of bulk cargo using

roads. The concept of haulage is a concept used in most modes of

transport to define bulk cargo

2. ATP( International Regulations for the transportation of perishable

products)

This agreement provides an international status for the transportation of

perishable goods across borders. This agreement specifies that all

transportation of perishable products across a distance of 150kms must

take into consideration the following.

 Nature of the perishable products

 Temperature required for the transportation of the products

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  The transport means to be use depending on the quantity.

The ATP is structured into four principal letters

 First Letter: the cooling or heating unit ( transport means)

 Second Letter: Degree of insulation, this refers to the depth of

coverage provided for the perishable products

 Third Letter: temperature ranges, usually between 5-2 degree

 Fourth Letter: certification on handling and other matters.

3. TIR Carnet (Transport Internationaux Routier)

The TIR has the same functions as the international road union. The TIR

carnet system is used in the movement of goods from one place to another

especially by roads, where the goods are checked once at origin and until

destination there is no further checking. The IRU or the TIR was founded

in March 1948 in Geneva.

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