Waterborne freight: The future of urban logistics

Picture this: a city where delivery vans no longer choke the streets, where clean air and quiet waterways define the urban rhythm. As e-commerce demands faster, cleaner, and more efficient deliveries, logistics faces a critical crossroads – especially in dense, complex hubs like London. The explosion in van traffic is grinding against the UK’s bold sustainability ambitions. But what if Britain’s rivers, canals, and estuaries – long overlooked – could ease this crunch? A new report from Logistics UK, The UK Logistics Network: Waterborne Freight, launched in June at the Multimodal conference, presents a compelling case for repurposing these historic routes to connect cities, ports, and – in time – urban centres in a smarter, greener freight network.