Transporting goods along inland waterways (rivers and canals) is important to the Dutch economy, because the Rhine, Scheldt and Maas rivers all flow through the Netherlands to the sea. One push-tug can push six barges carrying 16,000 tons. It would take 385 lorries to carry that much. Also, water transport is 16 times as clean as road transport. 

Barges transport a wide variety of goods along the Netherlands’ inland waterways. Their regular cargo includes containers, cattle feed, petroleum, sand and gravel, cars, lorries, household waste, surplus manure and parts used in building bridges.