RS takes part in the UNECE Working Party on Inland Navigation

The event was held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Working Party provisionally approved draft amendments to the fourth revision of the Inventory of Main Standards and Parameters of the E Waterway Network (Blue Book) as well as the Inventory of Most Important Bottlenecks and Missing Links in the E Waterway Network. The amendments will be further considered by the Working Party on Inland Water Transport during its 68th session (October 2024).

Apart from covering the traditional scope of technical questions, the Party held a Workshop titled “Towards a Smart and Sustainable Inland Water Transport” that outlined priority areas for developing “smart” and sustainable inland water transportation:

• decarbonization and integration of “green” policies for the fleet and waterway infrastructure;
• transition to alternative fuels and the consequent need for a resource and technical framework (manufacture, infrastructure, etc.);
• adaption to climate change;
• development of autonomous shipping;
• planning and timely execution of dredging works;
• updating and developing the regulatory framework;
• developing “smart” and flexible crewing rules;
• improving specialized education and crew training systems.

The following 66th session of the UNECE Working Party on the Standardization of Technical and Safety Requirements in Inland Navigation will take place in February 2025. The intersessional period will be dedicated to preparing proposals on the key items on the Working Party's agenda.

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. The organization’s main objectives are to enhance the safety standards of human life at sea, ensure the safe navigation of ships and the secure transportation of cargoes by sea and inland waterways, as well as to develop standards for environmental protection.

RS reviews technical documentation, surveys ships under construction and in service, issues documents and certificates for vessels, offshore facilities, ship machinery, equipment and devices; conducts measurements of ships and floating facilities; carries out surveys to ensure compliance with international conventions; recognizes and certifies industrial products and manufacturers, certifies quality management systems for compliance with international and national standards. 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.