The Central Commission has drawn up safety rules for personnel on board vessels sailing the Rhine. These cover the qualifications of personnel, particularly the skills required of boatmasters. They also cover the manning requirements of crews. More recently, the Central Commission also introduced rules for safety personnel on passenger vessels and additional provisions concerning the expertise of crew members of inland navigation vessels fuelled by liquefied natural gas (LNG).
A navigation personnel regulation codifying these various provisions came into force in 2011. The terms of the rules, however, remain unchanged, the new regulation merely constituting a formal restructuring with a view to simplification and clarification.
The regulations are supplemented by instructions for the competent authorities in the Member States.
In order to facilitate access to the Rhine, the CCNR has implemented a policy of recognition of non-Rhine boatmaster certificates that represent equivalent qualifications (see recognition of equivalence of boatmaster certificates).
In the same vein, the CCNR has put in place a procedure for the recognition of non-Rhine service record books.
Matters concerning personnel are dealt with by the Committee on social issues, employment and vocational training (STF) (see bodies).
The labour law rules and social security rules applicable to navigation personnel differ from those covered by the abovementioned regulations (for these rules, see legal and social security issues).
With Resolution 2010-I-8-Annex 1, the Central Commission has adopted the Regulations for Rhine navigation personnel (RPN), which came into force on 1 July 2011.
The Regulations for Rhine navigation personnel includes all the existing Rhine regulations for navigation personnel. The existing regulations were comprised of three sets of regulations, namely:
These regulations have been replaced by the RPN. Most of the rules, however, remain unchanged, since the new regulation merely constitutes a regulatory restructuring designed to ease the reading of Rhine regulations.
The Regulation is structured as follows:
Title I: General provisions relating to all aspects of the regulation
This section sets out the definitions and general rules governing the adoption of temporary requirements or service instructions.
Title II: Manning requirements
This section sets out the manning requirements (qualifications, rest periods and minimum crew on board). It also contains additional requirements applicable to safety personnel required on passenger vessels and additional provisions concerning the expertise of crew members of inland navigation vessels fuelled by liquefied natural gas (LNG)
Title III: Navigation certificate requirements
This section sets out, in un-amended form, the Rhine navigation certificate regulations adopted in June 2007.
These are followed by a number of annexes, mainly containing model certificates and the list of documents issued by non-Member States that have been recognised by the CCNR as valid for the Rhine. The annexes are divided into four sections:
A: Annexes concerning crewing
This contains the model for the log-book and the model for the service record books. It should be noted that both models have undergone minor modifications. Annex A5 provides a list of the service record books issued by non-Member States that have been recognised by the CCNR as valid for the Rhine.
B: Annexes concerning physical and mental fitness
This contains the model medical certificate (formerly annex B2 of the Rhine navigation certificate regulations).
C: Annexes concerning safety personnel on passenger vessels
This contains the model certificates for safety personnel required on passenger vessels, formerly included as an annex to the Regulations for safety personnel on passenger vessels. These models have not been modified.
D: Annexes concerning navigation certificates
This section contains Rhine navigation certificate models (primary navigation certificate and radar navigation certificate), the model for the local knowledge certificate, and the list of foreign certificates recognised as equivalents to Rhine navigation certificates.
The purpose of the STF Committee is to deal with issues concerning crewing and professional training. Their areas of responsibility fall into three main categories:
Committee Chairman: Mrs. VAN DER SMAN, Deputy Commissioner of The Netherlands
Secretariat : Mr. RUSCHE
The adoption of Additional Protocol No. 7 on 27 November 2002 amended the Mannheim Convention to permit the recognition of non-Rhine qualifications. This means that holders of recognised boatmaster certificates or radar certificates can now operate on the Rhine, which should simplify professional obligations and contribute to the development of a large European inland navigation market.
The CCNR adopted its first decisions on the recognition of non-Rhine boatmaster certificates in 2008. Since then, the CCNR has recognised the national certificates of seven European States that are not CCNR members and those of four CCNR member States. An exact list of the recognised boatmaster certificates and certificates of fitness for navigating using radar is given in the tables below; the list is updated regularly.
Administrative arrangements were also entered into between the CCNR and the relevant States in order to establish the principle and methods of cooperation between both parties. Mutual recognition of boatmaster certificates and radar certificates is to be accompanied by mechanisms for administrative cooperation between the Rhine authorities and the authorities of the States whose certificates are recognised, in order to guarantee the equivalence in duration of the relevant certificates, develop common practices, and also implement reliable information exchange systems. To this end, the agreement makes provision for the organisation of joint meetings, and sets up mechanisms to transfer information between the various competent authorities.
The CCNR has recognised a certain number of national boatmaster certificates as being equivalent to the “Grande Patente du Rhin”. Additional conditions are sometimes imposed to ensure the validity of these certificates on the Rhine. These conditions mainly cover the local knowledge required on the Rhine, and renewal of the physical and mental fitness certificate, as attested by additional documents which must be presented at the same time as the national certificate.
State | Name of certificate recognised as equivalent | Model | Additional conditions |
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D | Schifferpatent A |
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Schifferpatent B | |||
NL | Groot vaarbewijs A voor de binnenvaart |
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Groot vaarbewijs B voor de binnenvaart | |||
Groot vaarbewijs A voor de binnenvaart |
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Groot vaarbewijs B voor de binnenvaart | |||
Groot vaarbewijs I |
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Groot vaarbewijs II | |||
B | Vaarbewijs A/B |
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Certificat de conduite A/B | |||
CH | Patente du Rhin supérieur |
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RO | Certificat de conduite A |
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Certificat de conduite B | |||
CZ | Certificat de capitaine de classe I (B) (valable jusqu’au 31.12.2017) |
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Certificat de conduite de catégorie B (en vigueur à partir du 15.03.2015) |
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HU | Certificat de conduite de classe A |
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Certificat de conduite de classe B | |||
PL | Certificat de conduite de catégorie A |
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Certificat de conduite de catégorie A | |||
SK | Certificat de capitaine de classe A |
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Certificat de capitaine de classe I (B) | |||
AT | Patente de capitaine A |
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Patente de capitaine B | |||
BG | Patente de navigation intérieure |
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The CCNR has recognised a certain number of national certificates of fitness for navigating using radar as being equivalent to the "Patente Radar du Rhin".
State | Name of certificate recognised as equivalent | Model | Additional conditions | |
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RO | Boatmaster certificate for navigating on inland waterways using radar | |||
CZ | Certificate of fitness for navigating on inland waterways using radar | Modèle (valable jusqu’au 31.12.2017) | ||
Modèle (en vigueur à partir du 15.03.2015) | ||||
HU | Boatmaster certificate for navigating on inland waterways using radar | |||
SK | Certificate of fitness for navigating using radar | |||
AT | “Radar” qualification indicated on boatmaster’s certificate |
The service record book enables the boatman to attest his physical and mental fitness, his experience in navigation, and his qualification.
The Rhine service record book is issued by the competent authorities of any CCNR member State. Up to 1 July 2011, all boatmen were required to hold a Rhine service record book to be able to work on the Rhine.
However, the Czech Republic, Poland and many of the Danube States issued service record books in a format similar to that of the Rhine service record book, and it was therefore thought to be worth recognising the validity of the non-Rhine service record books on the Rhine.
On 8 December 2010, the CCNR and the competent ministries of seven central European States (Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic) signed a multilateral Administrative Arrangement, according to which the signatories agreed to recognise the service record books issued by their respective competent authorities. The Arrangement came into force on the Rhine and throughout the territories of the seven States on 1 July 2011.
All the service record books recognised by virtue of the Arrangement have a similar format.
This means that, since 1 July 2011, boatmen no longer have to obtain a new service record book each time they change country. They are now able to present their original service record book, as the indications shown in it concerning their physical and mental fitness and their navigation experience are valid throughout the area covered by the Arrangement.
The scope of application of the Application will probably be extended to the Moselle in the near future further to a decision on the part of the Moselle Commission.
This should go a long way to simplifying the administrative procedures imposed on European boatmen, and facilitate their access to the entire European network. Signature of the Arrangement therefore constitutes an important stage in the harmonisation of the documents required for inland navigation in Europe.
A Secretariat has been set up for the Arrangement; it is provided by the CCNR Secretariat. It supplies the logistics necessary for organising joint meetings, facilitates exchanges among the contracting Administrations, manages this Internet page, and carries out any other tasks necessary for ensuring the proper functioning of the Arrangement.