Accidents on inland waterways

What can you do?  

• Always follow the advice of safety staff on board the vessel and at the port.  
• Call the emergency number 112 or 101 for urgent medical assistance or the police. 
• Check out our general advice to follow before, during, and after an emergency.  
• If you have a problem with a waterway or hydraulic structure, contact the Waterways department, which will take note of the problem and call in the teams from WPS Mobility and Infrastructure. The Waterways department can be contacted at +32 81 219 555, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or via Report a problem, anomaly or accident on the regional waterway network. 
   

Impact and probability 

The figures relating to probability and impact describe a extreme accident on inland waterways. The BNRA theoretically describes such a scenario as follows: 

• A large barge sinks and its cargo is lost following a collision with infrastructure. Another possibility is a collision between two or more large passenger ships. The vessels must then be evacuated.  
• The impact lasts over a month. The areas furthest upstream are inaccessible, as there are no alternative navigation routes.  

How should you interpret these results? 

Within the BNRA, experts assessed three scenarios for each risk: considerable, major or extreme. On each page, you will find the results of the scenario with the highest score based on the combination of likelihood and impact. This does not mean that this scenario will occur or is the most likely. Read more here about how to correctly interpret the results.