EU financiert technologie voor navigatie rivieren in regio Westerschelde (en)

The European Union will provide over €500,000 from the TEN-T Programme to support a project extending the range of River Information Services (RIS) in the Western Scheldt region of both Belgium and the Netherlands.

The project, which was selected for financing under the 2011 TEN-T Multi-Annual Call, will extend the range of available RIS technologies such as an enhanced Fairway Information Service Portal and a "state of the art" tracking and tracing software application based on radar and Automatic Identification System (AIS), in line with the RIS guidelines.

The aim is to strengthen safety in an increasingly dense mixed traffic area (where both sea-going vessels and inland barges navigate) by improving the monitoring of vessel traffic in the Scheldt river region. This will be achieved by implementing a better performing Vessel Traffic Management and Information Services (VTMIS) software, integrating maritime and inland vessel traffic services. Additional RIS services like the Fairway Information Service Portal will also be upgraded.

River Information Services are customised information services defined by a European Framework Directive that make it possible to co-ordinate logistical processes on inland waterways with actual transport situations on a constant basis. RIS play a key role in making cargo transport and passenger services on waterways more efficient and ecologically sound while, at the same time, increasing traffic safety.

The project, which will be managed by the Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency, is set to be concluded by June 2014.

For more information, please consult the project's page!

Press Release in French - .doc (40.5 KB)

Press Release in Dutch - .doc (37 KB)