Keeping safe on and off board
Safety - a top priority in waterborne transport infrastructure
Factsheet
Waterborne transport safety is second to none. Waterways, ports and
coastlines need to be long-lasting and safe to protect against accidents
and other natural hazards such as floods. PIANC’s role is to help develop
and share the highest safety standards and technology to maintain
waterborne transport infrastructure safe and competitive. This
backgrounder provides facts and figures on the contribution of PIANC
towards ensuring the longevity and safety of waterborne transport
infrastructures worldwide.
Setting safety standards
Waterborne transport is one of the safest forms of transport and its infrastructure
is an important element of this proud record. PIANC brings together the world’s
leading experts in modern infrastructure solutions such as coastal defences,
flood control mechanisms and other safety measures against water-related
hazards. This helps to protect not only the ships transporting goods and people,
but also the populations living near waterways and coastal zones. By providing
technical guidance for the design and development of up-to-date and high-quality
safety standards, PIANC is playing a global role in leading the industry to higher
safety standards.
The number of people living in coastal zones is set to increase dramatically.
Currently over 50% of the world population lives within 200 kilometres of the sea
and this is set to increase to 3/5s by 2050. In the European Union almost half of
the population lives within only 50 kilometres of the sea, in areas of strategically
important economic activity. As more waterways are created and due to the
increase in global population, the pressure on the safety of coastal and waterway
zones will increase. Some of the coastal zones are low-lying land mass and
include the Netherlands, the city of Venice in Europe.
As sea levels rise worldwide, safety infrastructure such as sea walls,
breakwaters, drainage systems, flood defences (such as floodgates) and walls
between rivers and the sea will become more and more important.
Waterborne transport infrastructure needs to be continuously
improved and adapted to ensure the safety of coastal population, to
protect infrastructures and landscapes – and to ensure the continuance of global
trade. Without the infrastructure to load and unload ships and the watermanagement techniques, waterborne transport would not be able to continue.
Contributing to safety
PIANC and its members seek solutions to all aspects of infrastructural protection
including flood control and coast-line protection, river improvements, supervision
and control of canal embankments and bank protection. They also focus on other
strategic safety projects including the building and maintenance of ports and
harbours and ensuring that the latest meteorological technologies are being used
by the maximum number of people. For instance, the implementation of
monitoring stations and hydro-meteorological is essential to forecast effects of
sea level rise as well as storm warnings for both the navigation industry and the
general population.
PIANC’s contribution to the safety of waterborne transport – some examples:
- Helping shape a EU legislative framework for waterborne transport safety: PIANC
played an important role increasing safety, reliability and efficiency of inland
waterway transport through its assistance on developing the EU Directive that
implemented the River Information Services – allowing for real-time traffic monitoring
and management.
- Technical guidance on safe infrastructure: When it comes to ship safety the
infrastructures play an important role as they facilitate safe berthing and off-loading
as well as providing opportunities for authorities to ensure ship safety standards are
being adhered to. For instance, PIANC provides technical guidance on issues such
as ship collisions due to the presence of bridges; guidelines on types of fenders and
mooring devises; corrosion of steel in maritime structures and many others.
- Learning from hazards to help increase safety in the future: Immediately after the
2004 Tsunami, PIANC set up a working group on future protection against disasters.
The working group has since studied and made recommendations on the design
criteria for maritime structures to ensure preparations are made in advance as well
as countermeasures against tsunamis in ports
ABOUT PIANC - PIANC is the forum where professionals from all over the world
join forces to promote waterborne transport and provide expert advice on costeffective and sustainable infrastructures. Established in 1885, PIANC continues
to be the leading partner for governments and the private sector in the design,
development and maintenance of ports, waterways and coastal areas. Members
include national governments and public authorities, corporations and interested
individuals from more than 80 countries. For further information: www.pianc.org
Sources: PIANC reports, European Commission DG Research, European Commission, DG
Energy and Transport, EUractiv, European Maritime Safety Agency