Navigable Waterways Research Articles

Allocation of supplementary aeration stations in the Chicago waterway system for dissolved oxygen improvement

The Chicago Waterway System (CWS), used mainly for commercial and recreational navigation and for urban drainage, is a 122.8 km branching network of navigable waterways controlled by hydraulic structures. The CWS receives pollutant loads from 3 of the largest wastewater treatment plants in the world, nearly 240 gravity Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO), 3 CSO pumping stations, direct diversions from Lake Michigan, and eleven tributary streams or drainage areas. Even though treatment plant effluent concentrations meet the applicable standards and most reaches of the CWS meet the applicable water quality standards, Dissolved Oxygen (DO) standards are not met in the CWS during some periods. A Use Attainability Analysis was initiated to evaluate what water quality standards can be achieved in the CWS. The UAA team identified several DO improvement alternatives including new supplementary aeration stations. Because of the dynamic nature of the CWS, the DUFLOW model that is capable of simulating hydraulics and water quality processes under unsteady-flow conditions was used to evaluate the effectiveness of new supplementary aeration stations. This paper details the use of the DUFLOW model to size and locate supplementary aeration stations. In order to determine the size and location of supplemental aeration stations, 90% compliance with a 5 mg/l DO standard was used as a planning target. The simulations showed that a total of four new supplementary aeration stations with oxygen supply capacities ranging from 30 to 80 g/s would be sufficient to meet the proposed target DO concentration for the North Branch and South Branch of the Chicago River. There are several aeration technologies, two of which are already being used in the CWS, available and the UAA team determined that the total capital costs of the alternatives range from $35.5 to $89.9 million with annual operations and maintenance costs ranging from $554,000 to $2.14 million. Supplemental aeration stations have been shown to be a potentially effective means to improve DO concentrations in the CWS and will be included in developing an integrated strategy for improving water quality in the CWS.

Autonomous radiation monitoring of small vessels

Small private vessels are one avenue by which nuclear materials may be smuggled across international borders. While one can contemplate using the terrestrial approach of radiation portal monitors on the navigable waterways that lead to many ports, these systems are ill-suited to the problem. They require vehicles to pass at slow speeds between two closely-spaced radiation sensors, relying on the uniformity of vehicle sizes to space the detectors, and on proximity to link an individual vehicle to its radiation signature. In contrast to roadways where lanes segregate vehicles, and motion is well controlled by inspection booths; channels, inlets, and rivers present chaotic traffic patterns populated by vessels of all sizes. We have developed a unique solution to this problem based on our portal-less portal monitor instrument that is designed to handle free-flowing traffic on roadways with up to five-traffic lanes. The instrument uses a combination of visible-light and gamma-ray imaging to acquire and link radiation images to individual vehicles. It was recently tested in a maritime setting. In this paper we present the instrument, how it functions, and the results of the recent tests.

Electrical resistivity in support of geological mapping along the Panama Canal

Dredging and widening of the Panama Canal is currently being conducted to allow larger vessels to transit to and from the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Dredging efficiency relies heavily on knowledge of the types and volumes of sediments and rocks beneath the waterway to ensure the right equipment is used for their removal. To aid this process, a waterborne streaming electrical resistivity survey was conducted along the entire length of the canal to provide information on its geology. Within the confines of the canal, a total of 663 line-kilometers of electrical resistivity data were acquired using the dipole–dipole array. The support of the survey data for dredging activities was realized by calibrating and qualitatively correlating the resistivity data with information obtained from nearby logged boreholes and geological maps. The continuity of specific strata was determined in the resistivity sections by evaluating the continuity of similar ranges of resistivity values between boreholes. It was evident that differing geological units and successions can have similar ranges of resistivity values. For example, Quaternary sandy and gravelly alluvial fill from the former river channel of the Chagres River had similar resistivity ranges (generally from 40 to 250 Ω m) to those characteristic of late Miocene basalt dikes (from 100 to 400 Ω m), but for quite different reasons. Similarly, competent marine-based sedimentary rocks of the Caimito Formation were similar in resistivity values (ranging from 0.7 to 10 Ω m) to sandstone conglomerate of the Bohio Formation. Consequently, it would be difficult to use the resistivity data alone to extrapolate more complex geotechnical parameters, such as the hardness or strength of the substrate. A necessary component for such analyses requires detailed objective information regarding the specific context from which the geotechnical parameters were derived. If these data from cored boreholes and detailed geological surveys are taken into account, however, then waterborne streaming resistivity surveying can be a powerful tool. In this case, it provided inexpensive and highly resolved quantitative information on the potential volume of loose suctionable material along the Gamboa Sub-reach, which could enable large cost savings to be made on a major engineering project involving modification of one of the most important navigable waterways in the world.

Centrifuge Modeling of Ship Impact Loads on Bridge Pile Foundations

Bridges that cross navigable waterways may be affected by accidental ship impacts. To better characterize ship impact loads on bridge pier structures, a comprehensive centrifuge model test program involving 48 ship impact tests was performed on a 2 x 3 pile group and a 3 x 3 pile group founded in saturated silty sand. These model tests simulated groups of 2-m-diameter by 31.5-m-long pipe piles. The effects of three factors related to the ship (tonnage, speed, and bow structure) and two factors related to the bridge pier structure (superstructure mass and pile-group size) were investigated through these impact tests. The characteristics of the ship impact load were identified and the mechanism of the ship-bridge collision was analyzed. The test results show that the ship impact load was highly dependent on the ship bow structure and the ship impact speed. The test results were compared with other published data and the AASHTO loads. An empirical equation was suggested to relate the ship impact load to the five influencing factors.

Use of Advanced Information Technologies for Marine Accident Data Analysis Visualization and Quality Control

With increasing attention being given to vulnerable U.S. transportation system infrastructure, several different types of risk assessments are being performed. As this applies to marine transportation, one area of risk analysis is safe transport on the inland waterway network. Along the approximately 10,000 miles of navigable waterway in the United States reside major bridges, locks and dams, and population centers. Not only could an incident affect human health, property, and the ecology, but were it to make the network impassable, this could also cause a ripple effect throughout the U.S. economy. This article explores how advanced information technology can be used for identification and visualization of hazardous locations along U.S. navigable waterways. The initial intent of this research was to identify these locations using Geographic Information Systems technology. However, it soon became apparent that there were significant quality issues with the U.S. Coast Guard accident data. Consequently, visualization using satellite imagery (in programs such as Google Earth) proved valuable in validating accident locations and understanding how characteristics of each location may have contributed to accident causation and consequence. This article therefore also discusses how cost-effective technologies can be meaningfully applied to marine casualty data analysis and validation.

Intertribalism in the Ozarks, 1800-1865

The Ozark Mountains occupy a large area within the state boundaries of southern Missouri, northern Arkansas, and northeastern Oklahoma as well as the southeasternmost tip of Kansas. Missouri and Arkansas make up the bulk of the Ozarks, while Oklahoma and Kansas straddle their outer rim. Rivers such as the Mississippi, Missouri, White, Neosho, and Arkansas encircle the region. Tributaries and springs from the Osage, Gasconade, and Niangua create an expanse of navigable waterways into the interior. The Missouri portion of the Ozarks is referred to as the highlands, whereas the southerly portions are deemed the lowlands. These terms geographically divide the region but have little to do with the topography. The lowlands contain a chain of mountains called the Boston Mountains, and to the north the Ozark Mountains are segmented by grasslands. From 1800 to 1865 the Ozarks region was in constant fl ux, as migrations of different and distinct nationalities transformed the area. Previous migrations into the Ozarks date back to the Osage, who arrived in the early 1600s from the Great Lakes. The Osage Nation came to dominate the vast area’s economy, trade, and community, although in Arkansas the Quapaw controlled the southern border of the Ozarks. The French extended their settlements into St. Louis and along the fringes of the mighty Mississippi and accelerated their trading empire into the West. St. Louis remained prominent as an epicenter of trade, linking the mighty Missouri with the great Mississippi River. Eventually, Spain took control of the French trade until the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Afterward the United States became the fi fth great empire to push its borders westward into the Ozarks.

Equivalent Barge and Flotilla Impact Forces on Bridge Piers

Bridge piers located in navigable inland waterways are designed to resist impact forces from barges and flotillas in addition to other design considerations (e.g., scour dead, live loads, etc.). The primary design tool for estimating these forces is the AASHTO Guide Specification that provides a simple hand calculation method to determine an “equivalent impact force.” The simplicity comes at a cost of excluding the effect of the pier shape, impact duration, and interaction between barges in a flotilla. The objective of this paper is to present a hand calculation method for determining barge or flotilla impact forces on bridge piers. The primary advantage of this approach lies in its incorporation of pier geometry, interaction between barges, and impact duration. The proposed method is derived from the conduct of hundreds of finite-element dynamic simulations of jumbo hopper (JH) barges and flotillas, made up of JH barges, impacting bridge piers. Results are presented and compared with those derived from t...

Use of Hyperspectral Remote Sensing to Evaluate Efficacy of Aquatic Plant Management

AbstractInvasive aquatic weeds negatively affect biodiversity, fluvial dynamics, water quality, and water storage and conveyance for a variety of human resource demands. In California's Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, one submersed species—Brazilian egeria—and one floating species—waterhyacinth—are actively managed to maintain navigable waterways. We monitored the spatial and temporal dynamics of these species and their communities in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta using airborne hyperspectral data and assessed the effect of herbicide treatments used to manage these species from 2003 to 2007. Each year, submersed aquatic plant species occupied about 12% of the surface area of the Delta in early summer and floating invasive plant species occupied 2 to 3%. Since 2003, the coverage of submersed aquatic plants expanded about 500 ha, whereas the coverage of waterhyacinth was reduced. Although local treatments have reduced the coverage of submersed aquatic plants, Delta-wide cover has not been significantly reduced. Locally, multiyear treatments could decrease submersed aquatic plants spread, given that no residual plants outside the treated area were present. In contrast, the spread of waterhyacinth either has been constant or has decreased over time. These results show that (1) the objectives of theEgeria densaControl Program (EDCP) have been hindered until 2007 by restrictions imposed on the timing of herbicide applications; (2) submersed aquatic plants appeared to function as ecosystem engineers by enabling spread to adjacent areas typically subject to scouring action; (3) repeated herbicide treatment of waterhyacinth has resulted in control of the spread of this species, which also appears to have facilitated the spread of waterprimrose and floating pennywort. These results suggest that management of the Delta aquatic macrophytes may benefit by an ecosystem-level implementation of an Integrated Delta Vegetation Management and Monitoring Program, rather than targeting only two problematic species.

해상교통안전을 고려한 해상교량의 적정 위치 및 규모에 관한 연구

Recently, considerable number of bridges crossing over navigable waterways are under construction for the connection of coastal islands with mainland and the optimization of logistic system However, the most planned bridges have been initiated without paying much attention to ships safety aspects but with great emphasis on the economic factors, it has often been confronted with difficult social issues arising from opposing views and conflicts between building bodies and affected port users. The main reason for the conflicts is the lack of standards or specifications on the bridge design The proper location and scale of sea bridges are suggested in this paper considering fairway design criteria of both domestic and foreign countries, status analysis on the designs of existing and planned bridges, investigation findings of bridge-related marine accidents, the views of pilots and navigators collected through questionnaire. Since there is no general domestic or international design rules on bridge`s scale, the design standards proposed in this paper may be useful at initial design stage of bridge.

Integrated Water Resources Management Curriculum in the United States: Results of a Recent Survey

This paper summarizes the progress of the Corps of Engineers’ Advanced Degree Program in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and the results of a survey that was conducted in the summer of 2006 to solicit feedback on training needs related to IWRM. The survey, which was jointly sponsored by the Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR) and the American Water Resources Association (AWRA), was conducted to capture the views of water resource specialists related to the emerging field of IWRM. Over 600 people responded to the survey, representing a fairly balanced blend of academicians, government officials and consultants. The results suggest that there are often opposing views of what comprises IWRM and the means by which it should be implemented in the U.S. As the survey results suggest, the conduct of IWRM in the U.S. is extremely complex owed in large part to the breadth of issues it faces and the decentralized manner in which practices are governed. The definition of IWRM is problematic in the U.S. due to the wide practices that it encompasses – from scientific monitoring of streams to the dredging of navigable waterways to flood risk reduction measures. Perhaps it is best viewed as a process that strives to balance regional economic growth while achieving wise environmental stewardship. In that sense, water resources management and development is a participatory process involving previously competing interests. In spite of the increased recognition of IWRM, students interested in pursuing a related degree are, for the most part, faced with choosing between the more narrowly defined fields of civil engineering, physical hydrology, economics or environmental science. There are few educational options available that provide an integrative curriculum that touches upon the various types of water resources management objectives in a practical and balanced way. The Advanced Degree Program in IWRM, which has been under development by the Corps of Engineers (www.waterresourceseducation.us), began as a means to educate the Corps’ planning community. It was designed to promote interdepartmental degrees at the graduate level that were specifically geared towards water resource practitioners. The program has been operational for the past four years, but is not proving to be self-sustaining due to its somewhat narrow focus combined with training cutbacks the Corps has experienced within recent years. An expansion of the designed curriculum to address the full range of IWRM objectives could attract a wider range of federal, state, and regional interests beyond the Corps of Engineers. The survey was conducted in order to gauge broad interest on IWRM-related training and to solicit input on what might comprise such a curriculum. The results suggest that there is wide interest in IWRM across all water resource sectors, and that further discourse is warranted to determine how its principles relate to the U.S. experience and how they should be governed.

Modeling Floating Objects at River Structures

More than half of the commercially navigable waterways in the United States are adversely impacted at some time by ice and debris conditions that hinder operation and delay navigation. This paper describes a method of combining a depth-averaged two-dimensional flow model and a discrete element model customized to simulate floating objects such as ice and debris. The flow model is the shallow-water equation module of the adaptive hydraulics system. The discrete element model (DEM) is based on a method that has been used to simulate river ice and debris accumulations and vessels such as barges. The modeling system provides designers of hydraulic structures, bridges, and ice control structures, a physically based method to evaluate design alternatives in dealing with problems due to the presence of floating objects. Descriptions of the flow model and the DEM are presented, and then numerical applications are provided, demonstrating the modeling of debris passage at the Harlan Diversion Tunnel and the evaluation of navigation conditions attributed to the guard wall at the Greenup Locks and Dam.

Multi-proxy paleoenvironmental record of colonial land-use change in the lower Rideau Canal system (Colonel By Lake), Ontario, Canada

The construction of the Rideau Canal was one of the greatest engineering accomplishments of the nineteenth century, creating a navigable waterway linking the Ottawa River with Lake Ontario. Colonel By Lake, located at the southern end of the canal near Kingston Mills, was created by the damming of the lower Cataraqui River. The canal flooding in 1831 raised water levels by almost 8 m, inundating former wetlands and lowland areas. European settlement in the pre-canal-era (ca. 1780s) was associated with widespread deforestation and limited flooding of wetlands by construction of mill dams. A detailed sediment coring program was conducted in Colonel By Lake to reconstruct the pre-canal environment and to document water level and land-use changes associated with European settlement and canal construction. The paleoenvironmental record was obtained through analysis of multiple environmental indicators including sediment facies, particle size, magnetic susceptibility and downcore changes in testate amoebae (thecamoebian) diversity. The core lithostratigraphy consists of organic-rich muds overlying peaty gyttja and a lowermost unit of fine to coarse silts. The canal flooding surface (ca. 1831) is clearly defined by a shift to finer grain sizes and increased magnetic susceptibility within the upper 40–60 cm. The shift is associated with an overall increase in thecamoebian abundance and diversity, and high numbers of Difflugia oblonga and Cucurbitella tricuspis that indicate a shift to a deeper and more eutrophic environment. In contrast, the pre-canal environment has lower thecamoebian abundance with assemblages characteristic of marsh environments (Centropyxis constricta, Centropyxis aculeata). The onset of canal flooding (ca. 1790s) is identified by an increase in Pontigulasia compressa (~50 cm), recording a higher water flow rate. The study shows that a multi-proxy paleoenvironmental approach can clearly define different environmental changes due to land-use changes during colonisation and canal-era construction activities.

항만횡단 해상교량의 해양사고 관련 인자 분석을 통한 교량설계안 제안

최근 세계 각지에서는 선박 통항 수역에 해상교량의 건설 운영, 건설 계획 중에 있어 이 해역을 통항하는 선박에게는 위험요소로 작용하여 해양사고를 유발하고 있다. 이 연구는 미국 및 유럽, 일본을 대상으로 해상교량과 관련한 해양사고 인자 분석을 통하여 해상교량 건설 및 기 설치된 해상교량의 안전한 선박통항을 위하여 필요한 환경 요소가 무엇이며 이 환경 요소가 어떻게 설정되어야 하는지에 대하여 분석하였다. 해상교량과 관련한 해양사고 관련 인자는 선박운항자의 실수 이외에 주경간폭, 통항하는 선박크기, 직선거리, 선박교통량 등이 관련하고 있는 것으로 조사되었다. 해양사고 분석을 통한 최소 해상교량 주경간폭은 300m 이상이며, 선박크기가 150m 이상의 선박이 통항하는 해역에서는 주경간폭이 500m 이상이 필요한 것으로 분석되었다. 또한 해상교량 진입 직전 직선거리는 최소한 5L이상이 필요하며 8L(L:선박의 길이) 이상의 확보를 통하여 해양사고를 최소화하여야 할 것이다. Recently Bridges crossing waterway are constructed in navigable waterway, so marine accidents near bridges navigable waterway often occurred bemuse that has affect dangerous element for. This paper analysed the necessary environmental factors to navigate safely near bridges and how to set up the environmental factors. Marine accidents elements occurred near bridges relate to span of bridge, size of navigating ship, length of straight way and traffic volume except mistake of mariners. As results of marine accident parameter analysis, Span of bridge is necessary more than 300m at least based on marine accident's analysis, and in case of more than ship's Length 150m, span of bridge is necessary more than 500m, <TEX>$3{\sim}4L$</TEX>(L; Ship's Length). Length of straight way before bridge is necessary more than 8L to minimize the marine accident.

A Regional Waterway Management System for Balancing Recreational Boating and Resource Protection

Florida's coasts have been transformed over the past three decades as population growth and unprecedented demand for individual shore access to bays and estuaries led to the creation of residential canal developments. Thousands of miles of channels and basins were dredged as a by-product of this urbanization process. The navigable waterways that resulted are now being stressed by increasing boat traffic and canal-side activities. Recognizing their common goal to preserve the recreational and ecological value of southwest Florida waterways, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the four-county West Coast Inland Navigation District, and the University of Florida Sea Grant College Program signed a Memorandum of Agreement. The signatories agreed to develop a science-based Regional Waterway Management System (RWMS), which is a new approach to waterway planning and permitting based on carefully mapped channel depths, a census of actual boat populations, and the spatial extent of natural resources. The RWMS provides a comprehensive, regional overview of channel conditions and the geographic distribution and severity of existing impediments to safe navigation and resource protection. RWMS information and analyses result in regional-scale permitting to accommodate water-dependent uses while minimizing environmental impacts and reducing public expenditures. Compared with traditional approaches to waterway management, the science-based RWMS is relatively unbiased, objective, transparent, ecologically sound, and fiscally prudent.

Developing a business process model for bridge management

Waterways in northern Ireland is responsible for managing and maintaining Ireland's navigable inland waterways, as established under the British–Irish Agreement in December 1999. As part of this role, Waterways Ireland manages and maintains bridges and an array of other structures on its seven major waterways in order to fulfil its mission of providing a high-quality recreational environment on the waterways in its care, for the benefit of all. Currently, there are 580 structures over the 1000 km of waterways and their associated branches. Of these, 360 are owned, managed and maintained by Waterways Ireland. Recently, Waterways Ireland initiated a programme to develop a business process model for bridge management. This paper describes the business process model, which comprises a set of logical diagrams, textual descriptions and data elements. These components provide both an overview and an in-depth guide to the procedures involved in managing Waterways Ireland's bridge stock, in a format understood by managers and personnel within Waterways Ireland. The following components of the business process model are discussed here: (a) the set of hierarchical procedures and activities associated with managing bridge structures; (b) textual descriptions of each activity contained within the process procedures; (c) workflow diagrams illustrating interrelated procedures and activities; (d) the range of inputs and outputs associated with each activity, together with a description of the personnel responsible for the undertaking of those activities; (e) key performance indicators, which afford quantifiable measurements that reflect the operational efficiency of the various procedures within the business process model.

Innovations dans les transports industriels en France : le désenclavement du bassin stéphano-ripagérien (1750-1850)

Résumé Avant l’ère du rail la majorité les transports « industriels » s’effectuent par le biais de la voie d’eau et notamment des canaux. Ces voies navigables artificielles sont le fruit d’une longue tradition technique française. Le bassin stéphano-ripagérien n’échappe pas à cette logique, les projets naissants au sein de cet espace industriel sont pour la plupart influencés par cette culture technique. Comment un espace tel que celui-ci, berceau du rail français, a-t-il adopté une innovation anglaise qui remet totalement en cause la culture technique française ? Le début du 19 e siècle marque, en France, le début de l’industrialisation et donc de l’influence technique anglaise sur le continent. Malgré cet état de fait il faudra toute la persévérance et la compétence des ingénieurs des Mines pour mener à bien ce transfert de technologie. JEL : N73, O31

Ports, plagues and politics: explaining Italian city growth 1300-1861

The evolution of city growth is usually studied for relatively short time periods. The rise and decline of cities is, however, typically a process that takes many decades or even centuries. In this article we study the evolution of Italian cities over the period 1300–1861. Using an existing data set, we perform panel estimations where the development of city size and urban patterns can be explained by various geographical, institutional and other determinants of city size for the period under consideration. Although large shocks such as the plague epidemics are clearly visible in the data, our baseline estimation results show that the main determinants of Italian city growth are physical geography and the predominance of capital cities. With respect to geography, being a seaport or having access to navigable waterways increases city size whereas a city's relative location, measured by its urban potential, is not significant. Being a capital city also increases city size. The estimation results reveal strong century-specific effects on city growth and these effects differ markedly between the North and South of Italy. Additional estimations show that these time effects can be linked to the political and institutional developmental changes over time in Italy. Our findings that the capital city bonus increases and non-capital cities suffer when the political power and the institutions of the state are more centralised corroborate the idea that institutions are a key factor in explaining Italian city growth.

Simplified Dynamic Analysis of Barge Collision for Bridge Design

The AASHTO design provisions for barge impact on bridges spanning navigable waterways use a static force approach to determine structural demand on bridge piers. Recently, however, full-scale experimental dynamic tests of barge impact have indicated that consideration should also be given to additional forces generated from dynamic effects. Specifically, mass-related inertial forces generated by the superstructure of a bridge can restrain underlying pier columns and lead to dynamic amplification of column design forces. This paper presents an algorithm for performing simplified, coupled dynamic barge impact analysis for bridge structures. This type of analysis yields structural design forces, with dynamic amplifications included, on the basis of characteristics of the design impact condition (barge mass and speed). Results from the proposed simplified analysis method are validated using full-scale experimental test data and are compared with results obtained from full-resolution analyses for a variety of barge impact energies and bridge types.

Boundary Issues: Clarifying New Orleans's Murky Edges

At first there were just titiy ridges flanking the river, barely perceptible piles of Big Muddy s mud. Then, over millennia, they grew as the Mississippi River deposited layers of soil during flood seasons. It happened like this: Before the advent of modern flood control technologies, when the swollen river spread from its channel each spring, the unconstrained torrent slackened. Without a current carrying it, suspended material sank. The heaviest sediment dropped closest to the river, with lighter silt falling farther away. So the Mississippi built its banks, earthen ramps descending gradually from its shores. We know these accretions as the river's natural levees.' Eventually, the levees became useful for people, because of both local topography and continental geography. Native Americans knew the riverbanks as the highest, driest ground in the flat, damp delta. They shared their knowledge with the Europeans who settled Louisiana. For the latter, the Mississippi and its levee embodied the New Worlds promise. The river gathered the waters of thousands of smaller streams crisscrossing its valley, an expanse stretching from the Rockies' eastern face to the Alleghenies' western slope. More than fifteen thousand miles of navigable waterways make up the Mississippi system, a funnel whose spout would, it seemed, shunt trade inexorably toward the Gulf of Mexico. For boosters the Mississippi was God's signature carved into the valley; they saw in the turbid river images of empire. And the levee was more evidence of a divine plan: an elevated spot on which to build an entrepot where produce gathered from the North American interior could arrive at market near the river mouth.^

Container river services and gateway ports: Similarities between the Yangtze River and the Rhine River

Abstract: Container ports located in a delta of navigable waterways generally strive to develop the inland river services as a competitive transport mode, with a view to serving local and distant hinterland regions. The spatial and functional development of river‐based container networks is location‐specific and time‐specific. While each barging network and associated seaport system has its own dynamics, similarities in development patterns cannot be excluded. This paper discusses similarities and dissimilarities between the spatial and the functional development of the container river service networks of the Yangtze River and the Rhine River. It is shown that the Yangtze service network has the tendency to converge, in more than one aspect, with the (historical) development pattern of inland container services in the Rhine basin.