The World Canals Conference reverted to an on-site event in June 2024 after an on-line version in 2023. The event was based in Bydgoszcz in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie region of Poland, where the Rivers Brda and Wisła (Vistula) meet, along with the old and new Bydgoszcz Canals.
Inland waterways can play a pivotal role in the EU’s efforts to decarbonise the transport system, according to the Council of the European Union. In December 2022, the Council voted to approve the conclusions of the NAIADES III report on ‘Ongoing development of inland waterways transport’.
IWI is a member go the ‘Think Climate’ coalition under the auspices of PIANC (The World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure), working on a far-reaching initiative Navigating a Changing Climate.
A milestone in development of the European waterway network for 3000-tonne barges and push-tows was marked on Tuesday 4 October when the 36m-high Niederfinow shiplift was officially opened, on the Havel-Oder Canal.
The first vessel to pass through the new lift, with its striking architecture, was the Waterway Authority’s icebreaker Frankfurt. Barges and tankers up to 115m long can now transport cargoes between the Polish port of Szceczin and Berlin and beyond.
When we visited the site in May 2022, before attending the World Canals Conference in Leipzig, we saw that even a single-barge Polish push-tow had to split to pass through the original lift, opened in 1933, with its usable length of only 83.50m.
More than 20 years after planning started, the enlarged Panama Canal has finally been opened to international shipping, two years behind schedule. A detailed feature published in the New York Times on June 22, 2016, suggests that the difficulties encountered in performing the monumental works contract could leave a legacy of heavy maintenance and repair costs. The Malta-flagged ship Baroque enters the lowest of the
Canals have always been tools of geopolitics as well as the economy in the Middle East. They played a major role in the submerged cities of Thonis-Heracleion and Canope in Egypt, more than 2500 years ago. In the European Waterways Map and Directory (5th edition), I mention the Eurasian Canal that could serve exports from Kazakhstan and neighbouring countries, bypassing the new Volga-Don Canal that
Inland waterways are now frequently being discussed as an issue under the overall theme of water and water resources. This is confirmed at the upcoming 7th World Water Forum, to take place in Daegu, Korea, April 12-17, 2015. On April 16, 2015 a PIANC Side Event is scheduled on ‘Water Infrastructure for Sustainable Transport and Economic Development’. The flyer containing the programme of this event
Sonia Rolt – known to many on the canals simply and affectionately as ‘Sonia’ – died peacefully in hospital on 22 October, after a short illness at the age of 95. Her death has meant the passing of the last of the Idle Women who was still actively involved with the canals. In her 96th year, Sonia attended the Hay Literary Festival in May, where
Czech president Milos Zeman will be at the European Parliament building in Strasbourg on 26 February 2014, to lobby for inclusion of the Danube-Oder-Elbe water corridors in Europe’s ‘core corridor network’ for transport infrastructure investments. Ostrava-based MEP Vojtech Mynar has invited interested parties to a round table with experts on the Danube-Oder-Elbe Water Corridor in the ‘Swan Bar’ gallery of the European Parliament building at 16:00.
Member Navigli Lombardi is hosting the 27th World Canals Conference in Milan on September 1-4. Sign up for the Conference and the pre- and post-conference tours. Also read background news and features on our Blog. The conference/tours page of Euromapping’s on-line shop may also now be used to register for the conference, by agreement with the host organisation, with a discounted fee for current IWI
The Pauvros report on reconfiguration of the Seine-Nord Europe Canal was presented to the French Government on December 18. The cost is reduced from more than €7 billion to €4.7 billion by a series of modifications. The project could receive EU funding for up to 40% of the total cost.
IWI’s Annual General Meeting was held in Toulouse on September 15 at the World Canals Conference venue, the Espaces Vanel. This view shows council member and regular contributor to our publications David Wadham, our delegate for Serbia Krsta Paskovic, secretary Dave MacDougall, president Dave Ballinger, vice-president David Edwards-May and Russell Thompson of Scottish Canals, presenting the case for hosting the WCC in Inverness, Scotland.
Vive VNF under its new statute as a public administration! Following the successful public consultation process, the State body is expected to start works on enlarging the Creil-Compiègne section of the river Oise to European Class Vb capacity. The works are needed to harmonise navigable dimensions throughout the Seine-Scheldt waterway. The public consultation was completed successfully in 2012, and aspects of the project were then
Following the successful World Canals Conference in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China, on September 25-27, the organisers plan to publish a collection of photos to show Yangzhou in the eyes of foreign delegates and friends. It is hoped this will bring a new perspective on the historic Grand Canal through the city, the new canal and all their connections, as well as the related sites, heritage and
More than 200 waterway experts, managers and advocates attended the World Canals Conference at Groningen (Netherlands). The full programme of conference sessions with speakers from many countries throughout the world, and the daily site visits, will be reviewed here and in our next newsletter. The first site visit on Monday September 19 took delegates to the completed section of the Erica-Ter Apel link between Groningen
Radomir Ječinac reports from Belgrade, Serbia, on the ‘regatta’ (flotilla cruise) organised on the canals and waterways of Serbia in June/July 2012. Remember IWI’s annual World Canals Conference held in Serbia, in the beautiful city of Novi Sad on the Danube, in 2009? The host, Vode Vojvodine (Vojvodina waters) is an all-important institution in our country, which was founded to manage the network of artificial canals in this relatively