Review of the development of requirements to ensure the safe operation of inland waterway vessels

Abstract

The article reviews the development of requirements for vessels operating on inland waterways. The key points in the formation of the regulatory framework of the Russian Classification Society in terms of ensuring the safe operation of river vessels, taking into account the specifics of external loads on the hull of the vessel, are considered. The methods and approaches that became the basis of the existing Rules were formed in the 60-70s of the 20th century after the appearance of water reservoirs, the conditions of navigation in which differed significantly from river navigation. The next stage of development was the appearance of mixed (river-sea) navigation vessels based on river vessels operating in large lakes and reservoirs of inland waterways. By the end of the 1970s, mixed navigation vessels became a separate group, for which the requirements of normative documents for the safety of operation differed significantly from those for river vessels. First of all, this concerned the seaworthiness characteristics (stability, strength, freeboard) of the vessel's hull and its equipment, supplies, and devices. At the beginning of the 21st century, a study was carried out on the possibility of operating inland navigation vessels in coastal sea areas and in wind-wave protected areas with a maritime regime of navigation. The results have been applied in the Russian Classification Society's Regulations for roadstead and harbor navigation vessels (Guideline R.015-2006). The article analyses and confirms the necessity to develop a similar algorithm allowing assigning permissible operational restrictions for vessels whose class is lower than the basin class. The conditions for ensuring the safety of vessel operation should be assigned based on adjusted approaches that take into account the specifics of forecasting wind-wave parameters of water areas on inland waterways.