From 29 April 2026, Boon’s Dagmarkt in the heart of Utrecht will be supplied by an electric boat. No more delivery trucks through the city center, no emissions, no vibrations beneath the historic vaulted cellars. Just goods delivered by water, as Utrecht did for centuries, but now emission-free.
It sounds almost obvious. Yet this is a first that shows what is possible when entrepreneurs, logistics partners, and local government work together.
How does it work?
Goods are unloaded early in the morning at Kade Zuid, on the edge of the city. From there, they board an electric boat that carries them through the canals to the center. On arrival, roll containers are lifted onto the quayside by crane. From there, the products reach the shop’s cellar door directly via an underground tunnel. Efficient, quiet, and emission-free.
Previously, three staff members wheeled stock to the cellar every morning using trolleys. “The cobblestones were all uneven, so containers kept tipping over, and we had a lot of breakages and damage,” says supermarket owner Nawin Harpal. It was also physically demanding work for his team.
Utrecht’s canal-side hospitality venues have been supplied by water for years, but for a supermarket, that is less straightforward. Strict temperature regulations apply to food transport, so a dedicated refrigerated compartment was built into the boat.
Boon Food Group is the first major customer of HUB Utrecht Oost — a new urban distribution point on the city’s edge, designed to serve the city center cleanly and efficiently.
Why this matters
Utrecht wants to make its city center emission-free and eliminate heavy freight vehicles from the center. That benefits air quality and liveability, but it also protects the fragile historic infrastructure beneath the streets. Every heavy truck that stays out is a gain for the city.
More importantly, this project proves it can be done. A major supermarket chain is willing to invest in a new supply model. A logistics hub on the urban fringe acting as the link between the region and the city center. Public and private parties are delivering concrete results without years of deliberation.
Extra costs?
This is a valuable learning project. But let’s be honest: waterborne delivery is expensive. With an electric boat, a crane, a city hub, and last-yard access to the shop, the logistics cost per delivery is likely considerably higher than with a conventional truck. Until those extra costs are structurally covered, this remains a showcase for a single supermarket rather than a scalable model for the entire city center.
For city logistics professionals, Boon’s Dagmarkt is a reference project worth watching. The combination of water-based supply, an urban hub, and underground last-yard delivery is scalable. Other city centers, other entrepreneurs, other canals: the blueprint is there.
Utrecht is showing how it should be done. Now it’s up to the rest.
Walther Ploos van Amstel