RS at the 69th session of the UNECE Working Party on Inland Water Transport

The Working Party, acting as a subsidiary body of the UNECE Inland Transport Committee, coordinates the development of the E Waterway Network and addresses issues of safety, environmental protection, digitalization and the harmonization of international regulations.

Delegations from several countries, including the Russian Federation, presented their national initiatives and roadmaps for the continued digital transformation and automation of the inland water transport sector. Discussions encompassed technologies for remote vessel and infrastructure control, river information systems, satellite navigation, 4G/5G mobile networks and artificial intelligence.

The Working Party also reviewed and approved draft amendments to the European Code for Inland Waterways, European Code for Signs and Signals on Inland Waterways, Recommendations on Harmonized Europe-Wide Technical Requirements for Inland Navigation Vessels, the Inventory of Main Standards and Parameters of the E Waterway Network, as well as the Inventory of Most Important Bottlenecks and Missing Links in the E Waterway Network.

RS actively contributes to UNECE’s work on developing and updating technical and operational regulations for inland navigation vessels (including river-sea navigation ships), fleet modernization, sustainability and the advancement of the international legal framework for inland water transport.

The next session of the Working Party is scheduled for October 26–28, 2026.

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 expanding its scope of services in the field of engineering and consulting, the development of technical documentation for vessels in service, marine warranty surveys, management system certification and recognition of manufacturers. 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.