Considerable advance in the area of RIS deployment (SlovRIS) in Slovakia

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Since the beginning of 2006, Slovakia has demonstrated a significant progress in the implementation of RIS. In the course of IRIS Europe - a project platform of 11 European countries aiming at the common improvement and implementation of cross-border inland navigation information services -  Slovakia and Hungary are the next partner states to fully implement RIS. Hence, the following services will also be available in Slovakia from 2009: 

• Electronic reporting system for handling voyage and cargo-related information (i.e. electronic dangerous goods manifest according to ADN recommendations)    
• Electronic vessel certification register for the administration of license related data such as European vessel identification number, name of vessel, length, width, fully conforming to European regulations laying down the technical requirements for inland waterway vessels (Directive 2006/87/EC and amendments)  
• Tracking and Tracing for the automatic identification and transmission of the vessels’ position following the Inland AIS Standard 
• National and international RIS data exchange in order to provide accurate information on position, voyage and cargo data to the authorities, but also to logistic users such as terminal operators.  

The implementation of RIS in Slovakia provides a significant contribution to the facilitation of inland navigation on the Slovak stretch of the Danube. The importance of the latter has been emphasized by Slovak Minister of Transport Lubomir Vazny in a TV interview on Slovak evening News.  

The infrastructure set-up in Slovakia comprised, amongst others, 4 base stations in Bratislava, Gabcikovo, Komarno and Sturovo. In addition, 8 Slovak authorities’ vessels were equipped with AIS transponders (including electronic chart display and information system). Furthermore, within the framework of the Austrian Equipment Programme for Transponders, another 38 commercial vessels registered in Slovakia are now equipped with transponders.  

In the past, the Slovak stretch of the Danube witnessed severe incidents with negative impacts on traffic safety and the environment; the implementation of RIS should bring for the future an improvement of the transport safety and an increase of efficiency in the inland waterway transport chain.    

Source: via donau