Less than 8 months after the previous meeting in Ghent, the IVR Congress 2022 traditionally took place in the week before Pentecost for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic. About 170 members from 10 different European countries traveled to the prestigious Esplanade Hotel in Zagreb, Croatia to meet there.

The congress started with the meetings of the executive committee, the board of management and the loss prevention committee on Wednesday afternoon, June 1, and the meeting of the legal committee on Thursday morning, June 2. On Thursday afternoon, after registration and lunch, the IVR members were escorted to the Emerald Ballroom for the workshop ‘The future of inland navigation’.

The workshop’s first speaker was Ivan Bilić-Prcić from Croatian Register of Shipping, a classification and certification society for inland navigation, among others, based in Croatia. Hugues van Honacker from the European Commission then shared his presentation from an international policy perspective. Following, Remco Pikaart and David Woudenberg of Shipping Technology presented about data driven fleet management and collision prevention. After a short break, Janis Bargsten from SEAFAR spoke about the developments, challenges and solutions in the field of operational integration of state-of-the-art technologies for semi-autonomous and unmanned shipping. Prof. dr. Dieter Schwampe then shared his legal view on the limitations of liability. Finally, Shev Algama and Carri Woodburn from The Shipowners’ Club gave a presentation on the challenges in the inland navigation sector from a P&I point of view. With a wide range of speakers from several European countries and different sectors, it was a dynamic and educational workshop. The afternoon was presented and moderated by Jitteke Blussé van Oud-Alblas, who has extensive experience in the maritime and inland navigation sector from her work at Caland Law firm.

The workshop was concluded in style with an aperitif on the sun-drenched Oleander terrace, after which an excellent 4-course dinner was served in the Emerald Ballroom, which had since been transformed into a beautiful dining room. A special moment during the congress was the appointment of the new president of IVR, Anneke Kooiman. She is the first female president of IVR since the foundation of the association in 1874. The former vice president takes over from Dr. Philippe Grulois, who has been involved with IVR for over 35 years and has now received an honorary membership. Mr Grulois received a well-deserved standing ovation from all participants in the room during dinner. Klaus Weber will assume the role of vice president on behalf of the German delegation. IVR looks forward to the further development of the association under female leadership in which purpose, integrity and a clear vision for the future are key. IVR thanks Mr. Grulois for all his efforts for IVR.

The third and last day of the congress, Friday 3rd June, kicked off with the General Assembly in the main hall of the Croatian State Archives. The history of this national archive goes back to the 17th century and is an important part of the preservation of the national archive heritage. The assembly was opened by Ms. Duška Kunštek who, on behalf of the Croatian Ministry of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, welcomed the members and shared a presentation on the project developments and future plans of the inland navigation sector in Croatia. Secretary General Frouwke-Klootwijk de Vries looked back on the activities and particulars of IVR over the past year. This included cooperation with international organizations and institutions such as the CCNR and the European Commission, the strategy and main tasks of IVR, the vessel database and the increased focus on emissions and climate change, and the modernization of the visibility and communication of IVR. Traditionally, the chairmen of the Loss Prevention Committee, Ronald Koops, and the Legal Committee, Dr. Martin Fischer, informed the members on the many activities in their respective fields. The newly elected president Anneke Kooiman addressed the members during the meeting and she also had the honour of announcing the location for the next IVR Congress. After a guided tour of the historic city of Zagreb, a delicious closing lunch was served on the terrace of the Esplanade Hotel, after which the members continued their way home. IVR looks back on a very successful event and is looking forward to the next congress in Haarlem.

The IVR Congress 2023 will take place from 24 to 26 May in Amsterdam. More information will follow in the coming months.

Photos by Sandro Sklepić