Georgian authorities to launch regulations for inland water transportation

Safety rules of inland water transportation will be developed and approved in Georgia, including rules for technical supervision, registration, inspection and operation of floating vehicles on rivers, lakes and reservoirs, the Ministry of Economy announced on Tuesday.

Due to be approved before January 1, 2025, the ruleset will introduce a change to the currently unregulated field, which the Ministry said was necessary for safety reasons. 

According to international practice, inland water transport is a regulated field, and it is appropriate to have a record in the Georgian legislation that makes inland water transport a part of the country's unified transport system and creates a legal basis for ensuring transport safety”, the Ministry said.

The Maritime Transport Agency body will be tasked with technical regulation of the area, while incidents will be studied by a bureau at the Ministry.