RS Highlights Progress on Safer, Greener Inland Shipping Following the 46th ADN Committee Session

The session was held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva (Switzerland), with RS represented by Sergey Legusha, Senior Principal Surveyor of the International Affairs Department.

The Committee made a number of crucial decisions aimed at enhancing transport safety and advancing digital technologies:

• Education and training of experts – amendments legalize electronic, remote and online training, expanding access to educational programs and accelerating the digitalization of shipbuilding and shipping.
• Control of operations – the ADN checklist, mandatory for every loading and unloading operation, has been upd ated. Ensuring the checklist’s relevance and completeness was recognized as a cornerstone of safety.
• Remote operations – support was given to the pilot introduction of remote-control technologies for inland vessels, provided that a responsible master and an ADN expert are present on board and all conditions se t out by a competent authority are met.
• Green light for hydrogen – the application of hydrogen fuel cells for propulsion of inland vessels was confirmed as permissible in real navigation, reducing environmental pollution and supporting the shift to “green” solutions.
• Cargo transportation and technical issues – amendments were adopted regarding the carriage of carbon dioxide, the arrangement of loading and unloading pipelines on deck and the inclusion of new provisions on the separation of technical and breathing air circuits on board.

The session also underscored cooperation with classification societies. Under ADN, every inland vessel carrying dangerous goods must be classed. This requirement leverages the centuries-long expertise of leading classification societies, like RS, which is vital for ensuring vessel safety and environmental protection.

The 47th session of the ADN Safety Committee is scheduled for January 26–30, 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 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.