Advances in the area of information and communication technology have led to substantial innovations in the navigation industry. The new techniques enable the introduction of modern procedures, such as electronic waterway maps, which in turn improve safety (safer navigation, fewer accidents) as well as reliability. They contribute to expanding the operating time of ships (longer journeys) and, last but not least, they provide the competent authorities with the infrastructure to monitor and keep track of shipping traffic from land.
This surge of technology also gives rise to an automatisation and rationalisation of on-board navigation workflows. Intelligent systems manage the flow of information and routine procedures, thus facilitating the duties of the crew both from a nautical and from an administrative point of view. The trend is towards a one-person crew.
At the logistics level, the synergy of procedures and parties aims at fully integrating inland navigation with other modes of transport in intermodal logistics chains. This is particularly important since inland navigation is considered a service for industry whose quality determines the competitiveness of the transport mode. New logistics concepts, such as functional flexibility or narrow specialisation of vessels in certain groups of cargo (for example, cars) can open new market niches for the inland navigation industry.