RS took part in the 68th session of the Working Party on Inland Water Transport

The Working Party, as a body of the UNECE Inland Transport Committee, promotes:

• a pan-European policy dialogue on the inland water transport issues;
• a coordinated development of modern, sustainable and resilient E waterway network;
• a discussion of safety requirements and operational regulations for inland navigation;
• modern and eco-friendly fleet and infrastructure;
• the integration of inland waterway transport into multimodal transport chains;
• automation, digitalization and other innovations;
• the prevention of pollution from ships and resilience of the sector to climate changes;
• the harmonization of the international legal framework for inland waterway transport.

The workshop Digitalization and Decarbonization of Inland Waterway Transport, held as part of the session, hosted a discussion on strategies, events and initiatives for digitalizing inland waterway transport, the role of digital solutions in combatting climate change and the implementation of green and sustainable logistics in inland waterways.

The Russian delegation presented its innovations and shared plans for the future development of digitalization.

Participants highlighted the need to update existing legal and technical legislations and importance of UNECE's role in organizing and coordinating of this process.

The Working Party also reviewed and approved draft amendments to:

• European Agreement on Main Inland Waterways of International Importance (AGN)

The document presents a harmonized plan for the development and construction of a network of inland waterways of international importance (category E) based on agreed infrastructure parameters and operational characteristics. The Russian Federation is a party to the AGN, as well as many other international instruments being updated by the Working Party.

• Inventory of Main Standards and Parameters of the E Waterway Network (Blue Book)

The document contains a list of existing and proposed standards and parameters for E waterways and ports. It also compares, on an internationally comparable basis, the current parameters of inland navigation infrastructure with the minimum standards and parameters stipulated in the AGN.

• List of bottlenecks and missing links in the E waterway network.

The document contains a list of navigational bottlenecks and waterway structures covered by the AGN and is intended to assist countries to guide infrastructure projects for development of an integrated inland waterway network;

• a number of other documents related to the Party’s activities.

RS is actively involved in development of technical and operational regulations for inland navigation vessels (including river-sea navigation ships), encouraging the creation of a modern and eco-friendly fleet, promoting automation and digitalization efforts, as well as harmonizing of the international regulatory framework for the transportation of cargoes via inland waterways.

The next session of the Working Party is scheduled for October 29-31, 2025.

Additional information:

Founded in 1913, Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) is a world-renowned classification society that operates within all spheres of the maritime industry with the goal of improving the operational and environmental safety of marine transportation. RS reviews technical documentation, surveys ships and offshore facilities under construction and in service, certifies vessels and companies for compliance with international conventions, recognizes and certifies industrial products and manufacturers, certifies quality management systems for compliance with international and national standards.

Today, RS is actively implementing the concept "More than class" by expanding its scope of services in the field of engineering and consulting, the development of technical documentation for vessels in service, marine warranty surveys and certification. In addition, RS surveys all container types, including tank containers and offshore containers, confirms compliance of packaging for dangerous goods, as well as renders services on the declaration and certification of dangerous goods and bulk cargoes.