Classification of European Inland Waterways

{{Short description|Standards determining vessel sizes on rivers and canals of Europe}}

{{Expand Czech|Klasifikace evropských vnitrozemských vodních cest|date=December 2022}}[[File:Grundsteinlegung-schiffshebewerk-ndf-2009-64.jpg|right|thumb|Structures such as the Niederfinow Boat Lift limit the dimensions of vessels.]]

The '''Classification of European Inland Waterways''' is a set of standards for interoperability of large navigable waterways forming part of the Trans-European Inland Waterway network within Continental Europe and Russia. It was created by the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT; {{langx|fr|Conférence européenne des ministres des Transports}}, {{lang|fr|CEMT}}) in 1992.{{sfn|European Conference of Ministers of Transport|1992|p=1}}

This inland waterway classes agreed on by the commission are referred to as '''CEMT Class I–VII'''. These classes refer to the dimensions of ships that should be able to use a canal. For their height, the classification determines the minimum air draft of bridges on the waterway.{{sfn|European Conference of Ministers of Transport|1992|p=3}} The dimensions of structures like bridges, locks and boat lifts relate very directly to the size of vessels. However, for the canals themselves, this relation depends on local circumstances.

== Early standardization ==

[[File:Canal basin, Forth & Clyde Canal, Falkirk.jpg|thumb|Narrowboats and a Widebeam in the UK]] [[File:Peniches a Saint-Mammès P1080427.JPG|thumb|Péniches in Saint-Mammès]] The need to standardize the size of inland waterways is related to the later stages of industrialization. The development of the British canal system started in the mid-18th century. It led to canals and locks of many different sizes. This became a problem when businessmen wanted to use the canals for long-distance transport.{{sfn|Webster|1885|p=XXVII}} On the other hand, there was some kind of standardization. The usual beam of boats fit for canals and rivers was {{convert|14|ft|m|2|abbr=off}}. On most canals, it was {{convert|7|ft|m|2|abbr=off}}.{{sfn|Jamieson|1837|p=}} Just before World War I, a government commission advised to upgrade and standardize the four principal waterways known as 'the cross'. It probably thought of 100 ton barges.{{sfn|Merchant|1912|p=484}}

In France, the Freycinet program was approved in 1879. It provided for: * the nationalization of most inland waterways; * their improvement and standardization; and * new canals of about 800 miles (1300 km) length. It led to a big increase in inland navigation.{{sfn|Merchant|1912|p=480}} The 1879 law that established the Freycinet gauge, which shows similarities with how the CEMT worked in the 1950s. The law established that there were 30 main waterways ({{lang|fr|lignes principales}}) in France. These had to be 2 m deep. Locks had to be 38.50 m long and 5.20 m wide. Air draft below bridges had to be at least 3.70 m. The law would be executed as means became available.{{sfn|République Française|1879|p=121}}

In Germany several types of barges developed based on the main waterways. The older types were based on the rivers. Near the Rhine there were e.g. the Mainschiff and Moselschiff. In the east, there were types like the Finow-Masskahn and the Breslauer Masskahn. Newer types could be found on the canals in the west of Germany. Here, the 'French' Peniche and the 'Belgian' Kempenaar appeared. The most important types the 600-770t type based on the Dortmund–Ems Canal and the 1350t type based on the Rhine–Herne Canal. Together, these canals connected north and central Germany to the Rhine.{{sfn|Dehnert|1950|p=28}}

In the Netherlands, the Zuid-Willemsvaart was the first very long canal. It was completed in 1826 and was 18 m wide and 2.10 m deep, allowing a draft of 1.88 m. The locks were at least 50 m long and 7 m wide.{{sfn|Anonymous|1859|p=9}} After becoming independent, Belgium built the Kempische Vaart (Campine Canal) which connected to the Zuid-Willemsvaart and formed the connection between the Scheldt and the Meuse. This canal and most of its branches also got locks with 7 m wide gates and a useful length of between 50 and 56 m. Like the Zuid-Willemsvaart it was also 2.10 m deep.{{sfn|Smeesters|1902|p=115}} The Campine Barge ({{lang|nl|Kempenaar}}) was based on the dimnensions of these canals. The Albert Canal that opened in 1939 was much bigger.

==Classification==

=== Standardization of major cross-border inland navigation === In 1953, the Council of ministers drew up a list of twelve inland waterway projects that were of European interest. These projects should be studied and be standardized. In October 1954, the council then called for standardization of these canals based on the 1,350t Rhine–Herne Canal barge.{{sfn|European Conference of Ministers of Transport|1955|p=37}}

It was of course important to agree on what this international standardization on a type of vessel meant. This is probably why in 1957, the council of ministers issued a table of five classes of European towed barges and four types of German self-propelled barges. These classes actually have an almost one on one relation with the later 1992 classification of inland waterways.{{sfn|European Conference of Ministers of Transport|1957|p=76}}

{| class="wikitable" ! colspan="13" |Principal measurements of European types of towed barges and German self-propelled barges in 1957{{sfn|European Conference of Ministers of Transport|1957|p=76}} |- | colspan="7" |Types of European towed barges | colspan="6" |Types of German self-propelled barges |- | class | Type | Length | Beam | Draught | Height | Tonnage | Type | Length | Beam | Draught | Height | Tonnage |- | I | Péniche | 38.5 m | 5.00 m | 2.20 m | 3.55 m | 300t | Theodor Bayer | 38.5 m | 5.05 m | 2.30 m | 3.50 m | 274t |- | II | Kempenaar | 50.0 m | 6.60 m | 2.50 m | 4.20 m | 600t | Oskar Teubert | 53.0 m | 6.29 m | 2.50 m | 3.90 m | 562t |- | | | | | | | | Karl Vortisch | 57.0 m | 7.04 m | 2.30 m | 3.95 m | 605t |- | III | Dortmund–Ems Canal barge | 67.0 m | 8.20 m | 2.50 m | 3.95 m | 1,000t | Gustav Koenigs | 67.0 m | 8.20 m | 2.50 m | 3.90 m | 930t |- | IV | Rhine–Herne Canal barge | 80.0 m | 9.50 m | 2.80 m | 4.40 m | 1,350t | Johann Welker | 80.0 m | 9.50 m | 2.50 m | 4.40 m | 1,289t |- | V | Big Rhine Boat | 95.0 m | 11.50 m | 2.70 m | 6.70 m | 2,000t | N/a | | | | | |}

=== The 1992 classification === The official CEMT classification was issued in 1992.{{sfn|European Conference of Ministers of Transport|1992|p=1}} Class I corresponds to the historical Freycinet gauge. The larger river classification sizes are focused on convoys of barges propelled by a push-tug. Most of the canals of the United Kingdom have smaller locks and would fall below the dimensions in the European classification system.

In 2004, the standards were extended with four smaller sizes RA–RD covering recreational craft, which had originally been developed and proposed via PIANC.{{sfn|RecCom Working Group - eighth|2000}} The proposal to add the recreational sizes was adopted by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe resolution 52.{{sfn|Working Party on Inland Water Transport |2004}}

In 2015 the European Court of Auditors published a rather critical report about the progress of the improvement of the European system of inland waterways. It concluded that the member states were not doing enough to facilitate the modal shift from road to waterway transport. Part of this was due to a failure to focus on eliminating the bottlenecks in the inland navigation network.{{sfn|European Court of Auditors|2015}}

{| class="wikitable" ! rowspan="2" |Type of inland<br/ >waterways ! rowspan="2" |Classes of<br/ >navigable<br>waterways ! colspan="5" |Motor vessels and barges ! colspan="4" |Pushed convoys{{clarify|date=June 2025}} ! rowspan="2" |Minimum height<br>under bridges<br>(m) |- ! Designation ! Length (m) ! Breadth (m) ! Draught (m) ! Tonnage (t) ! Length (m) ! Breadth (m) ! Draught (m) ! Tonnage (t) |- ! rowspan="4" |For recreational<br/ >navigation ! RA |Open boat | align="right" | 5.5 | align="right" | 2.00 | align="right" | 0.50 | align="right" | | | | | | align="right" | 2.00 |- ! RB |Cabin cruiser | align="right" | 9.5 | align="right" | 3.00 | align="right" | 1.00 | align="right" | | | | | | align="right" | 3.25 |- ! RC |Motor yacht | align="right" | 15.0 | align="right" | 4.00 | align="right" | 1.50 | align="right" | | | | | | align="right" | 4.00 |- ! RD |Sailing boat | align="right" | 15.0 | align="right" | 4.00 | align="right" | 2.10 | align="right" | | | | | | align="right" | 30.00 |- ! rowspan="3" |Of regional<br/ >importance to<br/ >east of Elbe ! I |Gross Finow | align="right" | 41 | align="right" | 4.7 | align="right" | 1.40 | align="right" | 180 | | | | | rowspan="2" align="right" | 3.0 |- ! II |BM–500 | align="right" | 57 | align="right" | 7.5–9.0 | align="right" | 1.60 | align="right" | 500–630 | | | | |- ! III | | align="right" | 67–70 | align="right" | 8.2–9.0 | align="right" | 1.60–2.00 | align="right" | 470–700 | align="right" | 118–132 | align="right" | 8.2–9.0 | align="right" | 1.6–2.0 | align="right" | 1,000–1,200 | rowspan="2" align="right" | 4.0 |- ! rowspan="3" |Of regional<br/ >importance to<br/ >west of Elbe !I | Barge | align="right" | 38.5 | align="right" | 5.05 | align="right" | 1.80–2.20 | align="right" | 250–400 | | | | |- !II | Kampine-Barge | align="right" | 50.0–55.0 | align="right" | 6.6 | align="right" | 2.50 | align="right" | 400–650 | | | | | rowspan="2" align="right" | 4.0–5.0 |- !III |{{Interlanguage link|Gustav Koenigs class|lt=Gustav Koenigs|de|Gustav-Koenigs-Schiff}} | align="right" | 67.0–80.0 | align="right" | 8.2 | align="right" | 2.50 | align="right" | 650–1,000 | | | | |- ! rowspan="8" |Of international<br/ >importance ! IV |{{Interlanguage link|Johann Welker class|lt=Johann Welker|de|Johann-Welker-Schiff}} | align="right" | 80.0–85.0 | align="right" | 9.5 | align="right" | 2.50 | align="right" | 1,000–1,500 | align="right" | 85 | align="right" | 9.5 | align="right" | 2.5–2.8 | align="right" | 1,250–1,450 | align="right" | 5.25 or 7.00 |- ! Va |{{Interlanguage link|Large Rhine|lt=Large Rhine class|de|Großes Rheinschiff}} | align="right" | | align="right" | | align="right" | | align="right" | | align="right" | 95–110 | rowspan="2" align="right" | 11.4 | rowspan="4" align="right" | 2.5–4.5 | align="right" | 1,600–3,000 | rowspan="2" align="right" | 5.25 or 7.00 or 9.10 |- ! Vb |1×2 convoy | align="right" | | align="right" | | align="right" | | align="right" | | align="right" | 172–185 | rowspan="2" align="right" | 3,200–6,000 |- ! VIa |2×1 convoy | align="right" | | align="right" | | align="right" | | align="right" | | align="right" | 95–110 | rowspan="3" align="right" | 22.8 | rowspan="2" align="right" | 7.00 or 9.10 |- ! VIb |2×2 convoy | align="right" | 140.0 | align="right" | 15.0 | align="right" | 3.90 | align="right" | | align="right" | 185–195 | align="right" | 6,400–12,000 |- ! rowspan="2" | VIc |2×3 convoy | align="right" | | align="right" | | align="right" | | align="right" | | align="right" | 270–280 | align="right" | 2.5–4.0 | rowspan="2" align="right" | 9,600–18,000 | rowspan="3" align="right" | 9.10 |- |3×2 convoy | align="right" | | align="right" | | align="right" | | align="right" | | align="right" | 195–200 | rowspan="2" align="right" | 33.0–34.2 | rowspan="2" align="right" | 2.5–4.5 |- ! VII |3×3 convoy | align="right" | | align="right" | | align="right" | | align="right" | | align="right" | 285 | align="right" | 14,500–27,000 |}

== See also== *Unified Deep Water System of European Russia (110-210m length max, min lock beam 14.3m, 2,5-3.5-4m draft) *Baltimax (15,2m draft, the same as NeoPanamax) *Bangkok Port (172m length, 25m beam -with special permit 30m-, 8,2m draft), Bangkokmax of 1944 TEU *Seawaymax (USA Great Lakes docks, 8,08m draft), Chesapeake & Delaware Canal (draft 10,7m) *Paraguay River (almost 2,5m in middle river, 1,6m in upper river) *Grand Canal (China) *Saimaa Canal (Finland, max length 82,5 m, beam 12,6m, draft 4,2m) *Rhine–Main–Danube Canal for ships of 110x11,45x2,5m (up to 135m length with a special permit)

==Notes== {{Reflist|30em}}

==References== * {{citation |last=Anonymous |year=1859 |title= Aanteekeningen betrekking hebbende tot de wateraftappingen van de Boven-Maas |publisher= Algemene Landsdrukkerij |language=nl| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=zxJjAAAAcAAJ}} * {{citation |last=Dehnert |first=Hans |year=1950 |title=Verkehrswasserbau |publisher=Walter de Gruyter & Co, Berlin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TnyVDwAAQBAJ }} * {{cite report |author=European Conference of Ministers of Transport|date=25 January 1955|title=Premier Rapport sur l'Activité de la Conférence |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MTZcAQAAQBAJ }} * {{citation |author=European Conference of Ministers of Transport|date=24 October 1957 |title=Résolution sur les perspectives d'évolution des transports... |publisher=OECD |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YWBcAQAAQBAJ }} * {{cite report |author=European Conference of Ministers of Transport|date=12 June 1992|access-date=2018-08-30|title=Resolution No. 92/2 on New Classification of Inland Waterways |url=https://www.itf-oecd.org/sites/default/files/docs/wat19922e.pdf |issue=CEMT/CM(92)6/Final}} * {{citation |author=European Court of Auditors|year=2015|title=Inland Waterway Transport in Europe: no significant improvements in modal share and navigability conditions since 2001 |url=https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/SR15_01/SR15_01_EN.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=27 December 2021 |website=European Court of Auditors|publisher=Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union |page=37 |publication-place=Luxembourg |doi=10.2865/158305 |isbn=978-92-872-1948-0 |issn=1977-5679 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318032753/http://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/SR15_01/SR15_01_EN.pdf |archive-date=2015-03-18 }} * {{citation |last=Jamieson |first=Alexander |year=1837 |title=A Dictionary of Mechanical Science, Arts, Manufactures... |publisher=Henry Fisher, London |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nu-3W3hxFwkC }} * {{citation |last=Merchant |first=Ely Othman |year=1912 |title=A Comparison of American and European Waterways... |publisher=Government Printing Office |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jLY_AAAAYAAJ }} * {{cite report |author=RecCom Working Group - eighth |year=2000 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x2ttr-W4Xp8C |title=Standards for the Use of Inland Waterways by Recreational Craft |publisher=PIANC |isbn=2-87223-115-3|access-date=11 July 2012|pages=30–32|language=English|issue=103}} * {{citation |author=République Française |year=1879 |work=Bulletin des lois de la République française |title=Loi relative au classement et à l'améliaration des Voies navigables |publisher= Imprimerie nationale |url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k214107p/f152.item }} * {{citation |last=Smeesters |first=Constant |year=1902 |title=L'essor industriel et commercial du peuple belge |publisher=Société belge de Libriarie, Burxelles |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ujBRAQAAMAAJ }} * {{citation |last=Webster |first=Robert Grant |year=1885 |title=The Law Relating to Canals: Comprising a Treatise on Navigable Rivers and Canals... |publisher=Evems and Sons, London |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_SNQAQAAMAAJ }} * {{cite web |author=Working Party on Inland Water Transport |date=19 November 2004 |url=http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/doc/2013/sc3wp3/ECE-TRANS-SC3-164-Rev1e_01.pdf |work=European Recreational Inland Navigation Network|title=Resolution No.52|publisher=Economic Commission for Europe Inland Transport Committee|location=Geneva}}

== Publications including the full classification table == * [http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/main/sc3/European_inland_waterways_-_2012.pdf 2012 Map of the European Inland Waterway Network], United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (4th edition, Geneva 2012), without the recreational navigation categories. [http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/doc/2012/sc3wp3/ECE-TRANS-SC3-144rev2e.pdf Waterway Standards]. * Waterway page including another table of the European classification and a 2017 version of the above map

Category:Water transport in Europe Category:Transport and the European Union Category:Locks (water navigation) Category:Classification systems