Barge Transportation Market Analysis Report By Type Of Cargo, By Barge Fleet, By Barge Activities, By Application And Segment Forecasts From 2018 To 2025

Industry Insights

The barge transportation market size across the globe was valued at USD 107.8 billion in 2017. It is projected to witness a 3.4% CAGR over the forecasted years, 2018 to 2025. The rising need for moving cargo and agricultural produce over longer distances coupled with the feature of cost-effectiveness and operational efficiency in transportation is projected to drive the market growth.

The rise in import-export activities across several countries is driving the need for the development of various cargo transportation methods. Also, the growth of domestic trade and the need for transportation of goods at remote places is anticipated to trigger the market growth for barge transportation across the globe.

The global market is anticipated to account for the immense potential of growth due to factors like rising investments and several initiatives undertaken by governing bodies to develop inland water transport. Also, the development of new barges as per the latest trends, features, and up-gradation of old ones is projected to contribute towards the market growth.

The barges have a larger haulage capacity of around 1,500 tons as compared to the trailer truck having a capacity of 25-tons. Therefore, barges are widely used for transporting and hauling cargo in bulk quantities. Moreover, low operational costs are also expected to trigger the demand for barge transportation across the globe.

Type of Cargo Insights

The global market can be segmented into dry cargo, gaseous cargo, and liquid cargo. The dry cargo segment is projected to account for the largest share over the forecasted period, 2018 to 2025. This can be attributed to the surging transportation of agricultural produces from these barges. But, the falling demand for coal across the globe is anticipated to hinder market growth in the upcoming years.

The segment of liquid cargo is projected to account for significant growth from 2018 to 2025. This can be associated with the surging petrochemical demand and rising shale oil production across the U.S. Also, features like less spillage and easy transport are expected to drive market growth.

Application Insights

The application segment of crude & petroleum held a dominant share across the global barge transportation market in 2017. It is also projected to continue its dominance over the forecasted period, 2018 to 2025 due to the dropping demand for coal across various industrial sectors. Moreover, rising usage of crude oil and the need for the production of ethanol is anticipated to fuel up the market growth.

The rising adoption of barges to transport agricultural produce is propelling the growth for the segment of agricultural products. Rapid technological advancements being undertaken for the growth of food processing and agricultural sectors are also expected to contribute towards the growth of this segment.

Barge Fleet Insights

The global market can be segmented into the covered barge, open barge, and tank barge based on barge fleet type. In 2017, the tank barge segment accounted for the highest share across the global market. It is also projected to generate revenue of USD 66.6 Billion until 2025. This can be associated with the increasing demand for petrochemicals and crude oils coupled with their no-spillage feature.

The segment of the covered barge is expected to account for significant growth over the forecasted period, 2018 to 2025. This can be associated with the surging adoption of such barges to haul agricultural production in large quantities. Also, features like lowering transportation costs are projected to trigger the market growth for this segment.

Barge Activities Insights

The global barge transportation market can be classified into inland water transportation and Intracoastal transportation based on barge activities. The segment of inland water transportation is projected to account for the highest share across the global market over the forecasted period, 2018 to 2025.

The need for the adoption of inland waterways to transport goods and cargo is gaining traction across the globe owing to reduced costs, fewer traffic delays, and good safety. But, the segment of Intracoastal transportation is anticipated to register the fastest growth from 2018 to 2025. This growth can be associated with surging international as well as domestic trade.

Regional Insights

North America is expected to account for the fastest growth with a 4.3% CAGR from 2018 to 2025. This growth can be associated with the well-developed inland waterway transport across the U.S. As the infrastructure facilities like dams, locks, water reservoirs, and levees are available in abundant quantity across the U.S., the market is anticipated to gain traction in the upcoming years. Moreover, increasing shale oil production across the U.S. is also projected to fuel up the market growth for barge transportation.

Europe accounted for a significant share across the global market in 2017. Factors like a good inland waterway network and huge investments for infrastructure development are projected to fuel up the market growth. Further, a rise in waterway transportation across the Netherlands and Germany is acting as a major contributor to the market growth. While the Asia Pacific is also anticipated to witness a substantial share across the global market owing to several initiatives undertaken by statutory governing bodies for the development of inland waterways coupled with improving import-export trade across China and Japan.

COVID-19 Impact Insights

The market growth has been impacted globally due to the COVID-19 crisis. The restrictions over cargo movement through airways and roadways are acting as a key contributor to the demand for barge transportation. Also, limitations over international trade are prompting local players to supply their products through inland waterways. Further, constant fluctuations in prices of petroleum and other fuels coupled with the rising need for distribution of food and agricultural produce in the COVID-affected remote places across the globe are projected to propel the market growth. Moreover, rapid technological developments being developed by barge manufacturers for enhancing the haulage capacity are projected to trigger market growth in the post-pandemic period.

Barge Transportation Market Share Insights

The global market includes key players such as Alter Logistics, Campbell Transportation Company Inc., American Commercial Lines LLC, Kirby Corporation, and Heartland Barge. The market is competitive due to the presence of many well-established players across the globe.

These players are making huge investments to carry out R&D activities for enhancing fleet operations. Many local players and service providers are catering to the regional and domestic demand by targeting the inland transport method. Such players are majorly operating across Europe and North America.

Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at the global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends from 2014 to 2025 in each of the sub-segments. For this study, Million Insights has segmented the global barge transportation market based on type of cargo, barge fleet, application, barge activities, and region:

• Type of Cargo Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2014 - 2025)
    • Liquid cargo
    • Gaseous cargo
    • Dry cargo

• Barge Fleet Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2014 - 2025)
    • Covered barge
    • Open barge
    • Tank barge

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2014 - 2025)
    • Coal
    • Crude and petroleum products
    • Liquid chemicals
    • Food pulp and other liquids
    • Agricultural products
    • Metal ores and fabricated metal products
    • Pharmaceuticals
    • Dry and gaseous chemicals
    • LPG, CNG, and other gaseous products
    • Electronics and digital equipment
    • Others

• Barge Activities Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2014 - 2025)
    • Intracoastal Transportation
    • Inland Water Transportation

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2014 - 2025)
    • North America
        • The U.S.
        • Canada
    • Europe
        • Germany
        • The U.K.
        • France
        • Netherlands
    • the Asia Pacific
        • China
        • Japan
    • South America
        • Brazil
    • MEA (the Middle East and Africa)