Inland waterway and maritime transport

The latest publications in this offer are:

• December 10, 2025

  TRP5021

  Definition of the Project Vessels for the Design of Maritime Port Infrastructures

  The definition of design vessels and their associated technical characteristics is essential for the design of maritime port infrastructures but remains a complex exercise given the very wide range of a constantly evolving global fleet. This article reviews the current state of the art, developed through the publications of PIANC, for the definition of design vessels in the context of the design of maritime port infrastructures. The various technical characteristics influencing the design of these infrastructures are described while highlighting the influence and criticality of these characteristics on the design.

• October 10, 2025

  AG8160

  Intermodal transportation

  This article deals with the definition of intermodal transport in all its forms, the chain of its components, and its development in Europe and more specifically in France. The nature of the various ITUs (Intermodal Transport Units), the various transhipment sites and the various types of transport equipment are detailed.The major European intermodal transport flows are indicated.

• September 27, 2025

  GE1024 Reviewed

  Ecodesign of marine infrastructure: from concept to practice.

  Inspired from Nature Based Solutions, eco-design of maritime infrastructures is one of the pragmatics, technically and economically, responses to achieve legal mitigation objectives, adapted to each environment and aesthetically concerns to the natural underwater landscapes. This article presents the bases for the realization of eco-designed maritime infrastructures functional and efficient in terms of civil engineering and ecology, to enhance its integration into coastal or marine ecosystems. The original methodological approach, for the realization of eco-designed projects, is supported by concrete examples. The development of maritime territories is depicted from the perspective of ecological transition and additional biological conservation targets supported by human infrastructures.

• August 10, 2025

  AG8120

  Inland navigation

  The article highlights inland waterway transport in France through a historical introduction on inland navigation and on the waterways’ network. It then provides an overview of inland waterway transport at the international, European and French levels. Building the network in different steps leads to classify the main characteristics of inland waterways and to list the different waterways’ managers in France.The article then addresses the issues of the economics of inland waterway transport, the organization of the profession of inland waterway carrier as well as the environmental aspects of the management of inland waterways. One should also not forget the fact that waterborne passenger transport is undergoing significant development and that hydraulic management is increasingly present.

• May 26, 2025

  TRP5042 Reviewed

  Maritime Energy Transition. Issues, Challenges and Means of Action

  Based on the conclusions of the work of the T2EM coalition led by the French Maritime Cluster with the main national stakeholders in this sector, this article is geared toward any reader interested by the maritime industry and energy transition issues, and offers an overview of the issues, challenges and means of action contributing to the objective of decarbonization in this sector.

• January 10, 2025

  TRP5017

  Port Community Systems. Principles, Functionalities and Prospects

  Port Community Systems (PCS) are strategic digital platforms for information exchange in ports. Initially designed to promote the massification of container freight transport, they now demonstrate a remarkable ability to adapt to all types oftraffic, simplify international trade, and enhance the resilience of global supply chains in an uncertain environment.New technologies are opening up a new digital space where the interconnection of these platforms with Maritime Single Windows is becoming standard, strengthening international transport while addressing the challenges of decarbonization and reducing the nuisances of port activities by 2050.

• November 19, 2024

  W1700 Reviewed

  Legal protection of aquatic environment

  This article makes an inventory of European and French regulations applicable to the protection of aquatic environments and presents the principles of criminal law applicable to pollution offenses and other unlawful acts. Urban, agricultural and industrial activities degrade water quality, and so means to protect it must be ensured. Varied and diversified European and French legislation form a constantly evolving regulatory arsenal. Without claiming to be exhaustive, this article presents the main relevant texts and their implications, balanced and sustainable water management principles in France, and existing actors and tools implemented to apply them.

• November 10, 2024

  TRP5044

  Data Processing for the Maritime Sector Digital Transition

  The maritime sector is undergoing a far-reaching transformation, integrating innovations from the digital world, based on a growing amount of data describing activity and the environment, and on techniques for analyzing this data. This article provides an introduction to these issues, reviewing the various challenges of maritime digitalization, from data availability and use to the main analysis techniques.

• July 10, 2024

  AG8020

  Transport and logistics professions

  A wide variety of players are involved in the movement of goodsthat belong to shippers: general and specialized hauliers, vehicle hire companies, intermediaries, transport organisers, logisticians, etc. but also industrial and commercial companies that carry out transport on their own account. This diversity is explained by the multiplicity of activities to be carried out, the specific characteristics of some goods - which require specific equipment and are subject to specific regulations - and the complexity of international and multimodal transport, including administrative formalities. However, the boundaries between these categories of profession are porous, and very often one player performs several roles simultaneously. We explore these different roles here.

• December 10, 2023

  TRP5019

  Numerical Modelling for Shipbuilding. Physical Models, Industrial Uses and Innovation Challenges

  Numerical modelling, along with data obtained from experimental campaigns or produced using analytical models, is one of the tools available to engineers for designing and optimising ships and their equipment. Using a number of examples from the shipbuilding industry, this article shows how numerical simulation is used in this sector, the methods and numerical models on which it is based, and the innovations that are helping to renew and improve industrial practices.

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