Tweet23-06-2009 om 12:12 by Stafford Wadsworth

The rippling stretches of silver on the waters of the Meuse last night would have seemed extravagant on an impressionist canvas. The light sky between the dark clouds projected on the water gave a surreal peacefulness to a stretch of the river between Maastricht and the Belgian border which is too shallow for regular barge traffic.
However, moves are afoot and the increasing pressure on the North Sea ports – with containers piling up - means that the inland waterways and their ports are going to increase in importance at this, the crossroads of Europe. Maastricht means the crossing on the Meuse.
The crossings of the great rivers have been crucial factors in Europe’s history. In the past they prevented the passage of armies during wartime. The issue now is to harness the waters and make them carry more goods, so that they play their proper role in European logistics.
Frost & Sullivan tells us the trucks have to be lighter and emit fewer noxious fumes and so more goods have to go by water. Here and there along the Meuse, multi-modal facilities are springing up. There is one just south of Maastricht, less than a dozen miles away, with around 250 acres under development.
Similar facilities have been developed at Born, in the Maastricht Region, and include short sea operations which mean that you could also get across the Channel on one of their little steamers. Of course, now and again, bridges have to be raised a little and dredging is a serious and costly business. The waterways are clearly pointing to a new logistical future.
One interesting Limburg operator, no longer confined to the waterways, is Seacon, which has its headquarters in Limburg, with a major operation in Born. The waterways gave this operator a start. Seacon is now, not only transcontinental, but ranges across the Eurasian landmass to China.
It all started on the Meuse –Maastricht’s river. One of the great arms that enfold northwest Europe - balanced in the East by the Rhine - holding Europe’s heart in its embrace. In fact, the official title of the Euroregion, the 5 regions that make up the area surrounding Maastricht, is Meuse-Rhine.
However, it is not just the waterways that are becoming more active. There is talk of linking up high-speed trains with airports and this could mean a change of rail freight speeds from 18 kph to 300kph. Nevertheless, the stretch of the Meuse between Maastricht and the border will probably remain calm - one of those oases that make living in the Maastricht Region such a delight.

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