Introduction - Inland AIS device on the Rhine

On the Rhine, the obligation to install and use an Inland AIS device connected to electronic chart display systems came into force on 1 December 2014.

When this document uses the expression “electronic chart display system” it is referring either to:

  • an Inland ECDIS device in information mode

  • or a comparable device for displaying electronic charts.

Between 2016 and 2017, the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR) conducted a survey among boatmaster(s), authorities and installation firms. The main result of the survey was that Inland AIS device (in combination with an electronic chart display system) is widely accepted as a supporting tool for a safer navigation on the Rhine.

This document, intended for crew members, aims to clarify the importance and correct usage of Inland AIS device in combination with an electronic chart display system by answering concrete questions raised by users in the survey.

The CCNR document “Clarifications concerning the obligation of equipment with an Inland AIS and an Inland ECDIS device or a comparable electronic chart display device” (available in English, French, German and Dutch) clarifies the obligation and the usage of the Inland AIS device and electronic chart display systems.

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