Water transportation is the intentional movement of water over large distances. Methods of transportation fall into three categories:
- Aqueducts, which include pipelines, canals, and tunnels
- container shipment, which includes transport by tank truck, tank car, and tank ship.
- towing, where a tugboat is used to pull an iceberg or a large water bag along behind it.
Due to its weight, the transportation of water is very energy intensive. Unless it has the assistance of gravity, a canal or long-distance pipeline will need pumping stations at regular intervals. In this regard, the lower friction levels of the canal make it a more economical solution than the pipeline. Water transportation is also very common along rivers and oceans.
