UNECE launches the fifth revision of the European Code for Inland Waterways

UNECE today released the fifth revision of the European Code for Inland Waterways (CEVNI), Pan-European instrument regulating the navigation on the E-waterways network as a part of its work towards smooth and efficient inland water transport across the European region.

CEVNI contains the core rules applicable to the traffic on inland waterways in the UNECE region such as marks and draught scales on vessels, visual signals on vessels, sound signals and radiotelephony, waterway signs and markings, rules of the road, berthing rules, signalling and reporting requirements as well as prevention of pollution of water and disposal of waste. These harmonized rules constitute the legal and technical basis for national inland waterway codes in UNECE member States.

This fifth edition of CEVNI brings together the best practices from the existing traffic regulations of the river commissions and UNECE member States. The new edition updates existing regulations including: the rules of the road, the berthing rules, provisions for small craft, Inland Automatic Identification System (AIS), prevention of pollution of water, as well as introducing a new Annex on a Safety checklist for bunkering fuel.

Since being adopted in 1962, CEVNI has undergone several revisions through the work of the Inland Transport Committee, serviced by UNECE, to reflect major technical changes and innovation in the sector.

CEVNI is available in the three official languages of UNECE. It can be downloaded in PDF format for free from the UNECE website at http://www.unece.org/trans/main/sc3/sc3res.html and consulted online at http://tiny.cc/23ipzx. It will soon be available in hard copy format for purchase at the United Nations bookshop.