On the initiative of IG RiverCruise, the international inland shipping industry is developing an industry standard to enable all ship operators to manage their safety and sustainability strategies. ISO 28701 is based on the "Harmonized Structure (HS)" for ISO management systems and is intended to serve as the basis for certification worldwide. The standard is being developed by Working Group WG 1 of Technical Committee ISO TC 8 SC 7 «Inland Navigation Vessels». On 14 June 2022, the international working group met for the first time and started standardisation activities (Author:Barbara Guder)

Rivers have always been used to trade and transport goods and people. In the 60s, a new type of tourism emerged in Western Europe: river cruises. With the opening of the Main-Danube Canal in 1992, a veritable boom began. For the first time, there was a continuous inland waterway between the North Sea and the Black Sea. More and more tourists discovered the comfortable way of traveling on a river boat as an alternative to the usual bus trips. As a result, shipping traffic on the rivers increased and continues to do so today. In addition to passenger shipping, cargo shipping is also growing, as freight transport is shifting from road to waterway. At the same time, the fairways are becoming narrower and narrower due to climate-related low water levels. There are currently around 16,500 vessels sailing the EU waterways. For the year 2050, the EU Commission expects an increase to up to 25,000 ships.

Challenges in the River Cruise Industry

Today, the river cruise industry is an international industry with many players. The shipping companies operate their ships worldwide and sail large rivers such as the Rhine, Mississippi, Mekong or Nile. In contrast to the early days, when a ship owner usually realized everything on his own, since he owned only one ship, today mainly shipping companies with larger fleets are active in this industry. Operating a river cruise fleet has become a complex, demanding and costly task. There are a variety of organizations and individuals to coordinate:

• Owner of the vessel

• Management company for nautical and technical applications

• Management company for the hotel sector

• Tour operator

Since river cruise ships cross national borders on their itineraries, international regulations in the fields of nautical, technical and administrative law must also be observed in addition to the national regulations of the home country. In addition, several countries and regions have defined their own technical requirements for waterways and shipbuilding. In contrast to maritime transport, inland navigation does not yet have an international management system for safe ship operation. Instead, a skipper must comply with regulations that may vary depending on the management practice in place. However, only the master of a ship is held liable, as he legally bears full responsibility for the safety measures on board. The other actors involved, on the other hand, are hardly held accountable.

ISO standards for management systems

How can the international river cruise industry improve safety management in inland navigation? ISO standards for management systems (MSS) can be a helpful tool when it comes to how an organization can manage complex interconnected parts of its business and achieve its goals. The most well-known ISO standards for management systems are ISO 9001 for quality and ISO 14001 for environment. The ISO standards for management systems help organizations improve their performance by providing repeatable steps that organizations consciously implement to achieve their goals and create an organizational culture that reflexively enters a continuous cycle of self-assessment, correction, and improvement of procedures and processes. The degree of complexity of the management system depends on the specific context of each organization. For some organizations, especially smaller ones, it can simply mean that the owner of the company has strong leadership, and defines in writing what is expected of each individual employee and how they contribute to the overall goals of the organization. More complex companies operating in highly regulated sectors, for example, may need extensive documentation and control to meet their legal obligations and achieve their organizational goals. ISO MSS standards can be implemented by any organization, large or small.

ISO 28701 – Management System for Safety and Sustainability in Inland Navigation

In 2020, the European Association of River Cruise Shipping Companies IG RiverCruise took the initiative and submitted a standardization application to the Swiss Association for Standardization (SNV). The Swiss Association for Standardization (SNV) is ISO's national representation in Switzerland. IG RiverCruise is applying to develop a sector-specific ISO management system standard for safety and sustainability in inland navigation. The new standard is intended to serve as the basis for certification worldwide. After numerous rounds of negotiations with representatives of various cruise companies, cargo companies, certification institutions and an assessment at ISO, the 2022 project proposal was voted on by the Technical Committee ISO TC 8 SC 7 "Inland Navigation Vessels". There, the application was also approved and accepted. The new standards project is running at ISO under the name ISO 28701 "Ships and marine technology — Safety and sustainability management systems in commercial shipping on inland waterways — Requirements with guidance for use".  On 14 June 2022, the WG 1 working group, ISO TC 8 SC7, met for the first time and started standardisation activities. The working group is led by Sascha Gill, Vice President, IG RiverCruise. He is supported by Ruth Schneider, Standards Manager at the Swiss Association for Standardization (SNV), which heads the secretariat of the working group.