Stimulate the integration of inland waterways into the transport system (RIS integrated with eFreight and eCustoms)

FACT SHEET NO.: Cat-No.4 / Subcat-No.4.3-2

4. Internal market

4.3 Internal Market (intramodal): inland waterway transport

Stimulate the integration of inland waterways into the transport system (RIS integrated with eFreight and eCustoms)

Inland navigation represents an environmental friendly, secure and reliable mode of transport. On the other hand, a certain lack of reliability and flexibility provide a challenge for the seamless integration of this mode into intermodal transport chains. The objective of the River Information Services (RIS), which represents the European standard Intelligent Transport System (ITS) implementation in inland shipping, is to support this integration. RIS are regulated under Directive 2005/44/EC. [5]
RIS provide harmonized information services, such as vessel positions, status of fairways, missing administrative reports, to improve traffic and transport management in inland navigation. RIS further includes interfaces to other transport modes, e.g. port and terminal management by providing estimated time of arrival (ETA) updates for planning and monitoring of shipment operations. [3] The development of the harmonized RIS improves the safety and efficiency of freight transport by inland waterway [3].
The harmonised RIS on inland waterways is a related EU policy in EU e-Freight Policy context. It puts in practice the concept of 'single window' and allows the tracing of goods in real time, to ensure intermodal liability and to promote clean freight transport. [2]

1. The Netherlands: The Scheldt Radar Network provides vessel traffic services in a mixed traffic area including sea-going vessels and inland barges. [4]
2. Belgium/the Netherlands: Management Information System Container IWT (MIS-Cobiva). MIS-Cobiva provides the barge operator, vessel and terminal with the same reliable information on the arrival time of a ship [6]

The objectives of a greater integration of inland navigation in transport systems are to:
1. develop a seamless and efficient multimodal European freight transport and optimize multimodal transportation system resource
2. promote information exchange for administrations, operators for freight transport in EU and international levels in order to improve the overall efficiency of inland navigation. This concerns for example the information exchange between vessels, lock and bridges, terminals and ports.

Increase the interoperability of different transport modes for freight transport

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Reduce the time consuming of administration procedure and information exchange for freight transport

Increase the loading factor by optimizing the management of freight transport between all stakeholders

Reduce energy consumption by developing paperless information exchange and decrease business processes burdens; the energy efficiency increases further due to better voyage planning and more reliable scheduling [4]

[1] European Commission (2011): European e-Freight Capabilities for Co-modal Transport project, EU Seventh Framework Programme
[2] T. Cane, T. Katsoulakos (2011): The e-Freight ‘Next Generation Single Window’ for Trade and Transport. Paper for the e-Freight 11 Conference, Munchen, Germany
[3] O. Klein, F. Arendt, A. Gehlhaar (2012). RISING.Enhanced RIS and IT Services supporting multimodal Transports involving Inland Waterways. e-Freight 2012 conference - 9 / 10 May in Delft, the Netherlands
[4] European Commission/The Transport Research Knowledge Centre (2010): River Information Services. Modernising inland shipping through advanced information technologies. Online: http://www.binnenvaart.be/nl/downloads/documents/RISbrochure2010.pdf; retrieved: 08 Feb 2013
[5] European Parliament (2005): Council, Directive 2005/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on harmonised river information services (RIS) on inland waterways in the Community, EU-lex.