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1 INTRODUCTION

The development of inland navigation is a current

topic due to the increasing volume of transport (and

the consequent congestion on roads and the use of

capacity on railway routes) and due to the growing

environmental requirements related to the reduction

of harmful emissions into the environment.

In the European Union, the average share of inland

waterways in goods transport in 2021 was 5.4%, while

in Poland it was 0.1% [1]. The system of inland

waterways in Poland is consistent with the course of

basic cargo routes. Unfortunately, this benefit is

significantly limited due to the systematic

deterioration of navigation conditions on Polish

waterways.

According to [1], the length of navigable routes in

Poland remains at a constant level. The number of

ships registered in the country also changes slightly.

However, the fact that among the cargo ships (barges,

pushers, tugs) registered in Poland, only one barge

was built after 2010 is worrying.

Navigational conditions, especially transit depths,

are typically a Polish problem. Due to the small

number of kilometres of international-class inland

waterways, the declared depth values do not allow for

transport by ships with a draught of more than 1.8 m.

This could be mitigated by more frequent sailings by

lower-drawing vessels. Unfortunately, the second

important problem is the variability of navigation

conditions. This results, among others, from the lack

of waterway cascade in most rivers, but also

The Use of the DEMATEL Method to Analyze Factors

nfluencing the Usage of Inland Waterway Transport

E.T. Skupień

Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wrocław,

Poland

ABSTRACT: The article presents the results of the DEMATEL method (Decision Making Trial and Evaluation

Laboratory) method. The method had been used to identify and analyze cause and effect relationships between

factors that influence the use of inland waterway transport. The author took into account interactions between

seven factors. The factors were: (1) accessibility and condition of ports, transshipment infrastructure, shipyards,

and service areas, (2) operating parameters of the linear infrastructure (waterways and locks), (3) technical

condition of the fleet, (4) human errors committed by crew, infrastructure operators, and/or decision makers, (5)

climate and weather conditions (floods, droughts, wind, ice, groundwater level), (6) financing the water

transport system - repairs, ongoing maintenance of infrastructure; subsidies and discounts for shipowners, (7)

availability of information (e.g. navigation messages), method of data

collection and distribution,

communication and promotion of inland navigation. The analysis based on the DEMATEL method used the

survey conducted among Polish experts in the field of inland waterway transport. The results of the analysis

show that the most influencing factor is financing, and the most important cause influencing inland waterway

transport is climate.

http://www.transnav.eu

the

International Journal

on Marine Navigation

and Safety of Sea Transportation

Volume 17

Number 4

Decembe

r 2023

DOI: 10.12716/1001.17.04.

800

insufficient maintenance works. Both of these

phenomena are strongly related to outlays on fixed

assets for water management. And these, although in

2021 they increased by about 20% compared to 2020,

are still insufficient. It is also incomprehensible that

expenditures on the categories 'water reservoirs and

falls' and 'flood embankment and pump station'

increased by about 50% each, while regulation and

management of rivers and streams' received more

than 30% less. [1]

Due to the negligible share of inland water

transport in the modal split of inland freight transport

in Poland, it is worth analysing what is the factor that

has the greatest impact on the situation.

The condition and development of inland

navigation in Poland is currently the subject of

interest of many researchers. The possibilities for

development and analysis of the current state of

Polish inland waterway transport are described in [2,

3, 4 and 5].

The issues of financing inland navigation were

considered, among others, by [6], concluding that

financing infrastructure is one of the most important

barriers to its increased use. The assessment of the

activities of the government administration in the

implementation of statutory tasks related to the

development and functioning of inland navigation in

Poland, including financing issues, was described in

[7]. Financing was also one of the risk factors affecting

the implementation of inland waterway transport,

described in [8]. This publication listed groups of

adverse events that correlate with factors affecting the

carriage of goods using inland navigation.

Economic issues are also mentioned in [9] as one of

the factors that affect container shipping through

inland waterways. This article also highlights the

importance of infrastructure, including ship handling

facilities (shipyards and ports).

[10] raises the issue of navigation parameters, their

values and variability, thus referring to the condition

of the linear infrastructure, but also to the impact of

climate on this state of affairs. The issues of variability

of weather phenomena over the years and their

impact on navigation conditions are also presented in

[11]. Climate is considered an important factor

influencing sustainable and safe inland navigation

also by [12].

Issues related to the state of the fleet are addressed

in two ways. In the risk analysis already mentioned,

as a factor determining the occurrence of undesirable

events [8] or a factor affecting the use of shipping [9],

but also in publications relating to the use of

technology [e.g. 13, 14]. A ship and its technology

affect safety, which is also described in [15] where the

newest technology, virtual reality, supports

navigation in shallow water, so that the sailor will not

land.

The influence of people and especially human

errors on the execution of the transportation process

using inland waterways is mentioned in [8 and 12].

Errors and mistakes can be reduced by providing

information. This issue is covered by, e.g. [11 and 16].

The scale of interest in the development of inland

navigation in Poland shows that the topic is current

and still requires a lot of analysis. In this publication,

the proposed approach to the topic of inland

waterway transport development by indicating the

most important factors that condition this

development has been presented.

2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The research aimed to select factors that influence the

use of inland waterway transport, to analyse cause

and effect relationships between these factors, and to

point out which of these factors influence the use of

inland waterway transport the most.

Therefore, the adopted methodology includes four

basic research steps.

The first (chapter 3), to select the factors that will

be subject to further analysis, unstructured face-to-

face interviews with two experts were conducted. The

interviews did not include any specific form or list of

factors that influence inland waterway transport to be

selected, but were in the form of brainstorming based

on the knowledge and experience of the respondent.

Based on the indicated factors, a list of seven

factors influencing the usage of inland waterway

transport was created. This step of research includes a

description of those factors.

The second step (Chapter 4) presents the

DEMATEL (DEcision MAking Trial and Evaluation

Laboratory) method, which has been used to analyse

the correlations between factors.

Next, in the third step (chapter 5), the individual

steps of the analysis, including the method to

determine the degree of influence of individual

factors, were presented. This step also includes the

results obtained with the DEMATEL method.

The last and fourth step (chapter 6) presents

conclusions based on the analysis results and further

research directions.

3 SELECTED FACTORS INFLUENCING THE

USAGE OF INLAND WATERWAY TRANSPORT

The selection of factors that were analyzed in the next

steps was based on unstructured face-to-face

interviews with two experts in the field of inland

waterway transport in Poland. The conversations did

not include any specific list of factors to be selected.

They were in the form of brainstorming based on the

respondent’s knowledge and experience. The short

interviews lasted approximately 30 minutes each.

The starting point for considering the factors that

influence the use of inland navigation was the

division of these factors into groups. These were

infrastructure, fleet, people, and environment. During

the process, about thirty factors were mentioned. The

author aimed to narrow down the number of factors

to five - eight, because carrying out the DEMETEL

method analysis on more factors could reduce the

801

number of respondents, based on those answers, the

degree of influence was determined in subsequent

steps.

Ultimately, the experts agreed on a list of seven

factors that influence the use of inland waterways

transport, which were subject to further analysis.

These factors were: (1) accessibility and condition of

ports, transshipment infrastructure, shipyards and

service areas, (2) operating parameters of the linear

infrastructure (waterways and locks), (3) technical

condition of the fleet, (4) human errors committed by

crew, infrastructure operators, and/or decision

makers, (5) climate and weather conditions (floods,

droughts, wind, ice, groundwater level), (6) financing

the water transport system - repairs, ongoing

maintenance of infrastructure; subsidies and

discounts for ship owners, (7) availability of

information (e.g. navigation messages), method of

data collection and distribution, communication, and

promotion of inland navigation.

In the next part of the study, especially in the

tables, abbreviated names will be used. They are

given next to the descriptions of the given factors.

1. Accessibility and condition of ports, transshipment

infrastructure, shipyards, and service areas

(Infrastructure). This factor takes into account the

infrastructure that helps the fleet to be served and

facilitate loading processes. It influences the usage

of inland waterway transport because the fleet

needs to be repaired (regularly and in case of

adverse events) and to have ongoing service and

operation possible. Also, rarely the door-to-door

process can be performed using Inland Waterway

Transportation, and the ability to load and unload

is crucial and strongly affects the costs of the

transportation process.

This has been combined into one factor because

both the port and the service infrastructure are

used to serve the fleet.

2. Operating parameters of the linear infrastructure

(waterways and locks) (Waterways). This factor

takes into account the infrastructure connected to

the waterways itself. It influences the use of inland

waterway transport because these parameters

determine the size of ships able to sail through it.

And what is more important in Polish conditions is

that it also includes the waterway depth, which

influences the ship's draught, and results from the

condition of the waterway, but also from weather

conditions and water resources management.

3. Technical condition of the fleet (Ships). This factor

takes into account ships, their presence, loading,

and geometrical parameters, and their technical

conditions. It influences the usage of inland

waterway transport because ships determine the

possibility, loading amount, and cargo type of

transported goods. They also determine the

parameters of the transport process.

4. Human errors committed by the crew,

infrastructure operators, and/or decision makers

(Errors). This factor takes into account all human

errors that can occur in the transportation process

and other actions that affect the transportation on

inland waterways. It influences the usage of inland

waterway transport because crew errors can lead

to accidents and therefore ship, cargo, and

infrastructure (e.g. lock gate) damage. The

infrastructure (mostly locks) operators' errors can

prolong the transportation process and can

influence the condition of the infrastructure

(negligence, errors in maintenance). Decision-

maker errors can influence the use of inland

waterway transport at each stage (legislation,

waterway parameters, allocation of funding, etc.).

All human errors have been grouped into one

factor due to the willingness to reduce the number

of factors and due to their similar nature.

5. Climate and weather conditions (floods, droughts,

wind, ice, groundwater level) (Climate). This factor

takes into account all the changes in water level

and closure of the shipping route, which are

related to the temporary and long-term weather

phenomena. It influences the usage of inland

waterway transport because it influences the

parameters of the waterways and is independent

of human actions.

6. Financing the water transport system - repairs,

ongoing maintenance of infrastructure; subsidies

and discounts for shipowners (Financing). This

factor takes into account actions dependent on

money. It influences the usage of inland waterway

transport because it affects the parameters of

waterways, technical conditions, and the age of

locks. Financing in the form of subsidies can also

influence the age and technical parameters of the

fleet. And both can influence the interest in this

branch of transport.

7. Availability of information (e.g. navigation

messages), method of data collection and

distribution, communication and promotion of

inland navigation (Information). This factor takes

into account information, data, communication,

and promotion. Influences the use of inland

waterway transport because easy access to

navigation messages can have an impact on

navigation safety. Data collection and distribution,

for example, in the case of waterways depth may

influence the ease of its forecasting and therefore

readiness of its usage. Communication and

promotion of inland navigation may influence

knowledge of the society about this branch of

transport, interest in transport, and the

attractiveness of professions related to inland

navigation.

4 THE DEMATEL METHOD

The DEcision MAking Trial and Evaluation

Laboratory was originally developed for the needs of

the Science and Human Affairs Programme,

implemented in the years 1971–1976. The main

objective of the project was to define cause-and-effect

relationships between global and regional economic,

social, and economic problems. This method was

intended to help identify factors that directly or

indirectly cause other problems to occur. [17]

In the 1990s [18] described this method as one of

the most promising multi-attribute decision analysis

expert tools for structuring complex decision-making

issues and facilitating their resolution. In the 2000s,

appearing publications began to confirm the use of

DEMATEL in areas differed from the previous ones

802

[e.g.19, 20, 21 and 22]. New applications contributed

to changes, extensions, and improvements of the

method. The advantages of the method, including, in

particular, the ability to take into account the impact

of hardness and couplings in interactions between

elements and flexibility, make it useful to improve

commonly known tools used in various fields.

In the basic version of the method, a multilevel

scale is used to express the direct impact in relation to

a pair of elements [17, 23 and 24]. It consists of a zero

level (corresponding to the lack of direct impact of the

first factor on the second) and a number of levels

expressing a gradual increase in intensity up to the

maximum impact (the author of this publication used

a scale from 0 to 3 degrees expressing the influence of

the first factor on the second as: 1 - small, 2 - medium,

3 - large).

On the basis of the adopted scale, the intensity of

the direct impact of the i-th element on the j-th

element is determined, marked with the symbol x*

ij,

where: i, j = 1, 2…n, where n is the number of system

elements (in the case of this publication, the number n

corresponds to the number of examined factors, i.e.

n=7).

The direct impact matrix X* is used to show the

direct impact structure.

** *

12 13 1

* **

21 23 2

** *

31 32 3

** *

123

nn n

xx x

xxx

xx x

xxx

−









  



To determine the structure of the total impact, an

appropriately transformed standardised matrix of

direct impact X is used. For its determination, the

maximum sum of rows of elements of the X* matrix is

used.

max

= ⋅











∑

The total impact structure is described by the total

impact matrix T=X+ΔX, where: ΔX is the indirect

impact matrix. ΔX=X

(I−X)

-1

, T=X(I−X)

-1

and I is a unit

matrix consistent with X.

The role of individual elements of the system can

be deduced on the basis of two indicators: s+ and s-

obtained on the basis of row and column sums of the

matrix T. The s+ indicator is the overall influence and

expresses the relative importance of elements. While

s- is a net influence and determines the causal (s– >0)

or the effect (s– <0) nature of the elements.

The DEMATEL method allows taking into account

the opinions of a group of independently working

experts. This is achieved by aggregating the direct

impact matrix, defined by individual K experts (in the

case of this publication, the number of experts was

K=10), and calculating the arithmetic average intensity

of the direct impact, provided by experts. [17]

In recent years, there have been many publications

related to transport in which the DEMATEL method

is used.

An example can be given by [25] where the

authors indicate a solution to increase the use of rail

transport in the supply chain. This can be achieved

through better coordination between those involved

in the planning and implementation of freight

transport services (rail and non-rail). It is therefore

necessary to assess the interests of each of them and

their mutual correlations.

The subject of sustainable mobility can also be

considered using this method. [26] in his publication

indicates the classification of groups of measures,

dimensions and criteria that decision makers and

planners should include in modified plans for the

sustainable development of transport systems in order

to support the development of sustainable transport.

Topics similar to those presented in this article

appeared in [27]. The results show that management

issues, policy bias, high entry cost requirements and

lack of interconnections between rivers are the most

important factors holding back the development of

inland navigation in India. However, the [27] authors

refer to the situation in India and the emphasis in the

selection of factors was placed on technical and

organisational issues (10 factors in total vs. 3 of 7 in

this publication).

5 RESULTS OF THE DEMATEL METHOD

ANALYSIS

To complement the direct impact matrix X*, the

intensity of impact influence in relation to a pair of

factors influencing the usage of inland waterway

transport was determined by experts in this field.

Experts represented the scientific community,

representatives of the administration, and users of the

inland waterways of Poland. Of the 15 invitations

sent, the author received 10 responses and based on

these responses, further steps were carried out.

Experts were asked to complete the matrix by

participating in an online survey. The questionnaire

contained questions that determined the degree of

influence of individual factors (described in Chapter

3) on each other (, preserving the determination of the

influence of factor i on j and j on i, because these

values are not the same in most cases. From the 10

collected answers (as mentioned in Chapter 4) the

arithmetic average was taken in each field of the X*

matrix and its value rounded to the integer value was

introduced. The matrix built on the basis of the

experts' answers is presented in Table 1.

Table 1. The direct impact matrix for selected factors that

influence the usage of inland waterway transport. Source:

own work

________________________________________________

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

________________________________________________

(1) Infrastructure 0 1 2 1 0 2 2

(2) Waterways 3 0 2 2 0 2 1

(3) Ships 1 1 0 2 0 1 1

(4) Errors 2 2 2 0 0 2 1

(5) Climate 2 3 1 1 0 2 0

(6) Financing 3 3 2 1 0 0 2

(7) Information 2 1 1 2 0 2 0

________________________________________________

803

Based on matrix X*, knowing that the maximum

sum of rows of elements is 11 (for (6) Financing),

standardised matrix of direct impact X was calculated.

It can be seen in Table 2.

Table 2. The standardized direct impact matrix for selected

factors that influence the use of inland waterways transport.

Source: own work

________________________________________________

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

________________________________________________

(1) Infrastructure 0.000 0.091 0.182 0.091 0.000 0.182 0.182

(2) Waterways 0.273 0.000 0.182 0.182 0.000 0.182 0.091

(3) Ships 0.091 0.091 0.000 0.182 0.000 0.091 0.091

(4) Errors 0.182 0.182 0.182 0.000 0.000 0.182 0.091

(5) Climate 0.182 0.273 0.091 0.091 0.000 0.182 0.000

(6) Financing 0.273 0.273 0.182 0.091 0.000 0.000 0.182

(7) Information 0.182 0.091 0.091 0.182 0.000 0.182 0.000

________________________________________________

Furthermore, the total impact matrix T is shown in

Table 3.

Table 3. The total impact matrix for selected factors

influencing the use of inland waterway transport. Source:

own work

________________________________________________

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) Sum

________________________________________________

(1) 0.559 0.511 0.632 0.506 0.000 0.625 0.547 3.380

(2) 0.906 0.522 0.747 0.664 0.000 0.733 0.565 4.138

(3) 0.522 0.420 0.377 0.486 0.000 0.455 0.385 2.645

(4) 0.787 0.637 0.698 0.472 0.000 0.685 0.523 3.801

(5) 0.826 0.747 0.652 0.569 0.000 0.714 0.459 3.967

(6) 0.972 0.785 0.795 0.647 0.000 0.632 0.676 4.508

(7) 0.733 0.528 0.580 0.582 0.000 0.643 0.404 3.469

________________________________________________

Sum: 5.306 4.151 4.481 3.925 0.000 4.487 3.558

________________________________________________

Finally, the results of the DEMATEL method, in a

form of values of significance indicator and relation

indicator, are presented in Table 4.

Table 4. The values of the significance indicator and the

relation indicator for selected factors that influence the use

of inland waterway transport. Source: own work

________________________________________________

significance relation cause or

indicator s

effect

________________________________________________

(1) Infrastructure 8.686 -1.925 Effect

(2) Waterways 8.289 -0.013 Effect

(3) Ships 7.127 -1.836 Effect

(4) Errors 7.726 -0.124 Effect

(5) Climate 3.967 3.967 Cause

(6) Financing 8.995 0.020 Cause

(7) Information 7.028 -0.089 Effect

________________________________________________

The results presented in Table 4 indicate that the

most important factor among the factors analyzed is

financing the water transport system, repairs, ongoing

maintenance of the infrastructure; subsidies and

discounts for shipowners (s

=8.995). However,

accessibility and condition of ports, transshipment

infrastructure, shipyards and service areas (s

=8.686)

as well as operational parameters of linear

infrastructure (waterways and locks) (s

=8.289) also

received high significance indicators.

Of the seven investigated factors, as a result of the

DEMATEL analysis, 2 were recognized as causes

(Financing the water transport system - repairs,

ongoing maintenance of infrastructure; subsidies and

discounts for shipowners (s

=0.020) and Climate and

weather conditions (floods, droughts, wind, ice,

groundwater level (s

=3.967)), and the remaining 5 as

effects, but nevertheless the values of two of them

(Operating parameters of the linear infrastructure

(waterways and locks) (s

=-0.013) and Availability of

information (e.g. navigation messages), method of

data collection and distribution, communication and

promotion of inland navigation (s

=-0.089)), despite

being negative, were close to zero, which suggests

that they can be considered as both cause and effect.

6 CONCLUSIONS

The results of the DEMATEL analysis are subject to

expert responses. Therefore, it is important that the

questions are unambiguous and that the purpose of

the study is understood. Since the questionnaires

were sent by name, experts had the opportunity to

refer to the content of the questions and give their

opinion on the study.

There were voices among the respondents that the

purpose of the study was not clear to everyone,

making it difficult for them to determine the

relationship between the factors, according to them,

weakly dependent, because they considered these

questions meaningless.

This is because the introduction that the experts

saw before taking the survey was short to avoid

discouraging the respondents with too much time

necessary to devote to completing the survey.

The experts also pointed out the wide range of

individual factors that limited the precision of the

answers. This was due to the fact that the author

wanted to limit the size of the matrix (the number of

factors studied) without omitting the most important

factors.

These are the weaknesses of this survey, which in

the future can be overcome by preparing the survey in

a more detailed form, which will reduce the number

of respondents but increase the quality of responses.

Regardless of these disadvantages, the results of

the analysis indicate that financing and infrastructure

condition (both waterways and ports) are the most

important factors among those analyzed. They are the

most significant indicators. This leads to the

conclusion that if one is looking for a way to increase

freight transport on inland waterways, then one

should focus on these areas.

Financing the water transport system - repairs,

ongoing maintenance of infrastructure; subsidies and

discounts for shipowners; Accessibility and condition

of ports, transshipment infrastructure, shipyards, and

service areas and Operating parameters of the linear

infrastructure (waterways and locks) are of the most

significance of analyzed factors.

The division into causes and effects of the

examined factors influencing the usage of inland

waterway transport shows that the Climate and

weather conditions (floods, droughts, wind, ice,

groundwater level is strongly rated as a cause of other

factors. But it is also the one that people's influence is

very limited. The second cause is Financing the water

transport system, repairs, ongoing maintenance of

infrastructure; subsidies and discounts for

shipowners, but its score is very low. Similarly to

score of Operating parameters of the linear

infrastructure (waterways and locks) and Availability

804

of information (e.g. navigation messages), method of

data collection and distribution, communication and

promotion of inland navigation being effects in this

classification. It means that information and

waterways parameters are both causes and effects, so

can influence other factors, but also can be influenced.

As a next research step, the Author plans to

improve the survey. The number of factors could be

greater, which would allow to tighten its range. E.g.

Financing the water transport system - repairs, ongoing

maintenance of infrastructure; subsidies and discounts for

shipowners (Financing) could be divided into Financing

repairs, ongoing maintenance of infrastructure, and

Subsidies and discounts for shipowners. And the factor of

Financing infrastructure investments could be added.

Then the survey may be used for Path Analysis and

estimating weights of examined factors. The result of

such research may be more accurate

recommendations on improving transportation on

inland waterways.

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