When equipment problems are found aboard a vessel, the information received ashore affects maintenance and voyage decisions. This page starts with joint ship-shore decisions and outlines work that may be discussed for inland waterway safety and sustainability management.
Who it applies to and when to start
Organizations managing commercial inland waterway transport or shore-based support can first check whether their vessels and activities are within the standard's scope before integrating a fleet, changing operating areas, or establishing common management arrangements. Vessel types and operating conditions need individual confirmation.
Common business challenges
Shore teams track maintenance schedules while crews record actual conditions, but the information does not synchronize. When delay reasons and approvers are unclear, it is difficult to know who has assumed the risk. Fleet-wide procedures may also overlook navigation areas, staffing, and equipment limits.
Approach and applicable requirements
ISO 28701:2025 sets requirements and guidance for safety and sustainability management systems in inland waterway transport. It applies to inland-waterway cargo ships, cruise ships, ferries, and passenger vessels over 24 metres, and shore support operations; it also covers seagoing vessels entering inland waterways. See the ISO overview.
The following is a possible project scope for discussion. These arrangements are suggested working methods; the actual services must be agreed after confirming requirements.
Vessel type, operating area, and management responsibilities
Compare vessels, routes, and shore units. Organize decision authority and alternate contacts for routine, changed, and emergency conditions.
Operational risk, competence, and maintenance
Bring voyage conditions, crew competence, equipment status, and safety and environmental topics into management review. List matters requiring maritime specialist judgment.
Ship-shore reporting and performance review
Set how reports are received, acknowledged, and escalated. Consolidate incident, maintenance, and environmental data to plan exercises and improvements.
Support and work stages
1. Confirm applicability
Collect vessel length and type, operating area, and support activities to confirm the discussion scope and management responsibilities.
2. Align maintenance and voyage decisions
Select records such as a delay or route change and clarify who assessed, approved, and received follow-up information.
3. Test ship-shore information handoffs
Use routine reporting or an existing exercise scenario to verify receipt, response, and backup arrangements when no response arrives.
4. Review safety and environmental information
Consolidate exercise, incident, and performance gaps for management and define improvements and how they will be checked again.
Suggested outputs and acceptance checks
Suggested outputs include an applicability statement, ship-shore responsibility matrix, maintenance and change-management process, reporting exercise records, and performance-data definitions. Check that the same event has consistent ownership and status aboard ship and ashore.
Information to prepare
- Vessel types and lengths, operating areas, and route summaries.
- Ship-shore organization, contractor, and decision-authority information.
- Maintenance, training, route changes, and environmental records.
- Summaries of reports, exercises, deviations, and follow-up.
For an initial discussion, use an information inventory and de-identified examples. Share project data only after confirming its purpose, access, and retention arrangements.
Assessing schedule and fees
Fleet size, operating areas, shore units, and observation arrangements affect workload. Interviews and exercises need to fit operations. Vessel inspections, engineering, crew qualifications, statutory permits, and external certification are handled separately by the relevant parties.
Frequently asked questions
Does it apply to every small vessel?
The standard has scope conditions, including vessel length over 24 metres. Confirm the actual vessel and activity rather than relying only on the fact that it operates inland.
Should shore support be included?
If it manages or supports vessels within scope, review ship-shore decision and information interfaces together.
Can we keep the existing maintenance system?
Check whether it records reasons for delay, approvals, and follow-up arrangements, then address any management gaps.
How do we avoid a report being sent but not picked up?
Assign a receiver and alternate contact, define acknowledgement and escalation conditions, and test them in an exercise.
Does this project include vessel inspection?
Management systems and professional vessel inspections are different. Relevant qualifications, technical judgments, and statutory requirements need separate arrangements.
Which edition and verification approach should we use?
This page uses the published 2025 edition as its reference. Confirm the actual certification scheme, scope, and customer conditions separately.
Related services and enquiries
You can begin with a summary of the vessel and operating area and one ship-shore handoff that often stalls. Contact Captain International.