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The Classification of European Inland Waterways is a set of standards for interoperability of large navigable

waterways A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary b ...

forming part of the

Trans-European Inland Waterway network The Trans-European Inland Waterway network is one of a number of the Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T) of the European Union. According to Article 11 of the Decision No 1692/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 1 ...

within Continental Europe and Russia. It was created by the

European Conference of Ministers of Transport The International Transport Forum (ITF) is an inter-governmental organisation within the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) system. It is the only global body with a mandate for all modes of transport. It acts as a t ...

(ECMT; french: Conférence européenne des ministres des Transports, ) in 1992, hence the range of dimensions are also referred to as CEMT Class I–VII. The size for each waterway is limited by the dimensions of the structures including the

locks Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

and

boat lift A boat lift, ship lift, or lift lock is a machine for transporting boats between water at two different elevations, and is an alternative to the canal lock. It may be vertically moving, like the Anderton boat lift in England, rotational, like ...

s on the route.

Classification

Class I corresponds to the historical

Freycinet gauge The Freycinet gauge (french: gabarit Freycinet) is a standard governing the dimensions of the locks of some canals, put in place as a result of a law passed during the tenure of Charles de Freycinet as minister of public works of France, dating fr ...

decreed in France during 1879. The larger river classification sizes are focused on the carriage of

intermodal container An intermodal container, often called a shipping container, is a large standardized shipping container, designed and built for intermodal freight transport, meaning these containers can be used across different Mode of transport, modes of trans ...

s in convoys of barges propelled by a push-tug. Most of the

canals of the United Kingdom The canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a varied history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's ro ...

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 The World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC) is an international professional organisation founded in 1885. PIANC’s mission today is to provide expert guidance and technical advice on technical, economic and environment ...

. The proposal to add the recreational sizes was adopted by

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE or UNECE) is one of the five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It was established in order to promote economic cooperation and i ...

resolution 52. In 2015 an updated version was published.

References

Publications including the full classification table

Waterway A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary b ...

article including a reference to the European classification
Map of the European Inland Waterway Network
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (4th edition, Geneva 2012), without the recreational navigation categories
Waterway Standards
* European Waterways Map and Directory, 5th ed., David Edwards-May (Transmanche, 2014), {{Expand Czech, Klasifikace evropských vnitrozemských vodních cest, date=December 2022 Water transport in Europe Transport and the European Union Locks (water navigation) Classification systems

Classification

See also

References

Publications including the full classification table