Carriage, Handling and Storage of Dangerous Goods along

104 RECOMMENDATIONS
d. Navigation, traffic, communication, man-made obstacles:
• traffic density;
• fishing nets, sand dredging operations;
• bad or no communication between ships, and between vessel and shore;
• lack of aids to navigation
• night navigation limitations;
• limited information on existing water levels and vessel traffic density.
4.2 PREPARATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS
The risks from the waterway and navigation channel itself are specific to the waterway assessment.
The waterway and its natural navigation channel is a creation from nature and the risks involved in using
this waterway are a direct consequence of its geometry, its physical characteristics and its hydraulic
dynamics. Then there are the man-made challenges and lack of intervention which make navigating
the river unsafe. The total risk encountered at a certain spot is a combination of various "waterway
factors" which make navigation difficult, tricky, dangerous and perilous. These waterway factors have
been ranked into a scale of pollution hazard. The real "total" danger does not stem from every single
waterway factor on its own but from a combination of these factors. Every potential danger in the
waterway has therefore been objectively assessed on the possibility, in case of accidents, of producing
environmental damage and widespread (trans-boundary) pollution.
The final goal of the waterway assessment is to implement effective prevention measures to avoid
pollution. The focus of this assessment does not relate to "physical removal of obstacles" at this stage
and does not opt for any physical improvement or change of the existing navigation channels. The
recommendations proposed therefore only deal with the risk assessment of the existing navigation
conditions of the channel (baseline situation) and the safety of waterway assets (whether man-made
or natural).
There seems to be strong environmental arguments for not focussing on navigation on a larger scale,
or making the river navigable if this implies major physical changes. A key approach will be to adjust
trade and vessels to the river and not the other way around. The river is, however, big enough to
accommodate increased traffic and still be an environment for fish and biodiversity, as long as the
ambition level considers these aspects. The commission does not speak on behalf of the river but its
Member Countries. The driving force in this case is increased but sustainable navigation.
4.3 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PREVENTION
The first recommendation on the Suitability of the Waterway Sections for Tanker Barges is actually
the most important one as it will restrict tanker navigation on certain stretches of the river. Hence it
is crucial that the outcome of the risk analysis of the waterway is approved by all riparian countries. The
other recommendations are more general proposals that will assist in preventing accidents on the river.