Annex III Technical and operational characteristics of inland waterways of international importance

The class of a waterway shall be determined by the horizontal dimensions of motor vessels, barges and pushed convoys, and primarily by the main standardized dimension, namely their beam or width;

Only waterways meeting at least the basic requirements of class IV (minimum dimensions of vessels 80 m × 9.5 m) can be considered as E waterways. Restrictions of draught (less than 2.50 m) and of minimum height under bridges (less than 5.25 m) can be accepted only for existing waterways and as an exception;

When modernizing waterways of class IV (as well as smaller regional waterways), it is recommended that the parameters of at least class Va should be met;

New E waterways should, however, meet the requirements of class Vb as a minimum. In this regard, a minimum draught of 2.80 m should be ensured;

When modernizing existing waterways and/or building new ones, vessels and convoys of greater dimensions should always be taken into account;

In order to ensure more efficient container transport, the highest possible bridge clearance value should be ensured in accordance with footnote 4 of Table 11)

Inland waterways expected to carry a significant volume of container and ro-ro traffic should meet, as a minimum, the requirements of class Vb. An increase of 7% to 10% in the beam value of 11.4 m of specific vessels navigating on inland waterways of class Va and higher classes may also be envisaged in order to allow for future developments in container dimensions and easy transport of trailers;

On waterways with fluctuating water levels, the value of the recommended draught should correspond to the draught reached or exceeded for 240 days on average per year (or for 60% of the navigation period).2) The value of the recommended height under bridges (5.25, 7.00 or 9.10 m) should be ensured over the highest navigation level, where possible and economically reasonable;

A uniform class, draught and height under bridges should be ensured either for the whole waterway or at least for substantial sections thereof;

Where possible, the parameters of adjacent inland waterways should be the same or similar;

The highest draught (4.50 m) and minimum bridge clearance (9.10 m) values should be ensured on all parts of the network that are directly connected with coastal routes;

A minimum bridge clearance of 7.00 m should be ensured on waterways that connect important sea ports with the hinterland and are suitable for efficient container and river-sea traffic;

Coastal routes listed in annex I above are intended to ensure the integrity of the E waterways' network throughout Europe and are meant to be used, within the meaning of this Agreement, by river-sea vessels whose dimensions should, where possible and economically viable, meet the requirements for self-propelled units suitable for navigating on inland waterways of classes Va and VIb.

Through traffic should be ensured throughout the navigation period, with the exception of the breaks mentioned below;

The navigation period may be shorter than 365 days only in regions with severe climatic conditions, where the maintaining of channels free of ice in the winter season is not possible and a winter break is therefore necessary. In these cases, dates should be fixed for the opening and closure of navigation. The duration of breaks in the navigation period caused by natural phenomena such as ice, floods, etc. should be kept to a minimum by appropriate technical and organizational measures;

The duration of breaks in the navigation period for regular maintenance of locks and other hydraulic works should be kept to a minimum. Users of a waterway where maintenance work is planned should be kept informed of the dates and duration of the envisaged break in navigation. In cases of unforeseen failure of locks or other hydraulic facilities, or other force majeure, the duration of breaks should be kept as limited as possible using all appropriate measures to remedy the situation;

No breaks shall be admissible during low water periods. A reasonable limitation of admissible draught may nevertheless be allowed on waterways with fluctuating water levels. However, a minimum draught of 1.20 m should be ensured at all times, with the recommended or characteristic draught being ensured or exceeded for 240 days per year. In regions referred to in subparagraph (ii) above, the minimum draught of 1.20 m should be ensured for 60% of the navigation period on average;

Operating hours of locks, movable bridges and other infrastructure works shall be such that round-the-clock (24-hour) navigation can be ensured on working days, if economically feasible. In specific cases, exceptions may be allowed due to organizational and/or technical reasons. Reasonable hours of navigation should also be ensured during public holidays and at weekends.

It should be situated on an E waterway;

It should be capable of accommodating vessels or pushed convoys used on the relevant E waterway in conformity with its class;

It should be connected with main roads and railway lines (preferably belonging to the network of international roads and railway lines established by the European Agreement on Main International Traffic Arteries (AGR), the European Agreement on Main International Railway Lines (AGC) and the European Agreement on Important International Combined Transport Lines and Related Installations (AGTC));

Its aggregate cargo handling capacity should be at least 0.5 million tonnes a year;

It should offer suitable conditions for the development of a port industrial zone;

It should provide for the handling of standardized containers (with the exception of ports specialized in bulk cargo handling);

All the facilities necessary for usual operations in international traffic should be available;

With a view to ensuring the protection of the environment, reception facilities for the disposal of waste generated on board ships should be available in ports of international importance.