CEVNI SIGNS

Monday, 23 January 2017

Those who buy a boat they intend to keep on the Canal du Midi often complain that the CEVNI rules are irrelevant to them, and indeed knowledge of the signals shown by a vessel engaged in mine sweeping is not likely to be called upon very often there. However on continental waterways the authorities do require a helmsman to hold a driving licence and that involves full knowledge of the rules of the road, just as a car driver must know the full highway code even if he promises to stay on small side roads.

Code Européen des Voies de Navigation Intérieure (CEVNI) is the code governing navigation on all the interconnected European inland waterways. It was originally devised under the auspices of the United Nations in 1962 and is under regular review by the Inland Transport Committee.

It differs from the international Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) in several respects, particularly where it deals with large vessels operating in close quarters in restricted channels. The 214 page document can be found (in English, French and Russian) at http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/doc/finaldocs/sc3/ECE-TRANS-SC3-115-Rev.5e_WEB.pdf but for most practical purposes the RYA Book of European Waterway Regulations will suffice for leisure boaters.

Although the imagery used on signs is tightly defined in the regulations it is often interpreted rather more loosely, plus there are still some older versions to be seen. They are nevertheless generally easy to understand.

The signs and lights for Obligations (black symbol on white panel with red border), Prohibitions (similar, with red diagonal slash), and Authorisations, Recommendations and Indications (white image on blue panel) are mostly self-evident, but a few do merit further explanation. The most obvious are those making it mandatory to meet an on-coming craft starboard to starboard, and these have already been explained under Blue Boarding.

The rules distinguish between mooring and anchoring, so although you might be faced with a sign prohibiting the use of your anchor you may legitimately elect to moor there. Berthing is defined as a vessel attached directly or indirectly at anchor or made fast to the shore, i.e. berthing includes mooring and anchoring. The icons are a mooring bollard, an anchor, or for ‘berthing’ the letter P (which might usefully be regarded as ‘Parking’)

One possible confusion is that sign A.5.1 prohibits berthing in sections of the waterway that (in the example) are less than 40m wide whereas B.6 is an obligation to comply with the 12kph speed limit. Limits are of course in kilometers per hour, rather than in knots, and the numbers in use will generally make the meaning clear. Sign E.5 is simply a general berthing authorisation, and E5.1 authorises berthing where the width of waterway exceeds 60m. The slightly odd E.5.2 will not generally affect leisure craft. It authorises berthing (probably “anchoring” in this context) at a distance of 30m to 60m out into the waterway from the sign, i.e. the 30m nearest to the bank is to be kept clear, as is the space in excess of 60m from the bank.

Signs may have supplementary information in panels over, under or to one side of the basic square. If the additional panel is over the original it signifies that the requirement comes into effect up ahead at that distance, e.g. there is a 10kph speed limit in force 1 kilometer after the sign. If it is to one side or the other it signifies that the requirement is effective for that distance and in that direction from the sign. If it is a “No Berthing” sign with a triangular pointer at the bottom positioned on a ship it means no berthing for that distance out across from the vessel where the sign is placed, probably on account of a dangerous cargo on board.

The waterway engineers who authorise the placing of signage do sometimes make mistakes, which can occasionally be confusing. The “No berthing” within a distance marked in a triangle at the bottom has been used here where it should be a pointer off to one side as in the context berthing is prohibited for 70m along the bank, not out into the waterway. At least here it is easy to realise what is meant - the next error is more problematic:

The confusion at this lock is that the sign instructing the viewer which side he should meet an on-coming craft has been placed upside-down. I’d guess that it has been used in the highway sense to indicate which craft has priority, but it never has that meaning in CEVNI so it’s impossible to know. In this group of signs your course is shown by the solid line and that of the on-coming craft is the dotted line. Priority is determined by whether a craft is travelling uphill or downhill. This could potentially be extremely dangerous.

The whole point of the CEVNI signage is that a helmsman from no matter where can know and understand the meaning with no requirement of a common language, and despite the occasional lapse by reason of human frailty they do serve the purpose very well. This panel at a small port on the Danube has introduced a red cross sign, but that is so well understood that it creates no difficulty and there is no need to speak Serbian to know what facilities are available there.

link to Tam’s RYA Book of CEVNI Regulations and DVD Barge Handling in France

CEVNI SIGNS

Signage used within

The European Code

for Inland Waterways

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