ORIGIN / PREFACE

IVR was founded in 1874 by insurance companies from Germany and Switzerland (Rheinschiffsregisterverband). The intention was
- to inspect - in addition to the statutory inspection - all insurable inland navigation vessels in respect of their fitness
- to enter the vessels that were found fit in a register (the IVR-Register was first published in 1879).

After the second World War the association was refounded in Rotterdam in 1947 under the name "International Association the Rhine Ships Register" (IVR), in which apart from the original founders - the insurance companies - also the inland shipping organizations from all Rhine riparian States and Belgium were united. In order to be able to exert government influences on IVR, the Central Rhine Navigation Commission in Strasbourg took over the patronage.

One 1 June 2001, it was decided to amend the articles of the association in order to be able to offer membership and representation in the bodies of IVR to the relevant industries from Central- and East European countries.This makes IVR the first Pan-European association that formally admits the membership of representatives of inland shipping, the insurance, the shipbuilding industry and the shipping survey as well as other parties concerned from all over Europe

The main activities are:

• certification of dry cargo vessels on the basis of the IVR-Regulations
• registration of the European Inland fleet
• drawing up uniform rules for general-average-cases in inland shipping (Rhine Rules IVR) and recommendation of uniform rules and guidelines for dealing with general-average-cases and
• harmonization and unification of European inland shipping in the wider sense of the word.

IVR has more and more been concerned with several projects that partly arise from and are connected with the principal tasks, which, however, need not necessarily be in the common interest of insurance and shipping industry. To these belong

• Electronical data exchange programs (ERS, EBIS)
• advice managementsystems and quality systems
• advice managementsystems and quality systems

International association

The IVR is thus an international association with representatives among the insurance branche, the inland navigation industry, technical and nautical experts and other related sectors, from many European countries.

Aims

Being an international institution, the IVR concentrates on stimulating business contacts, coordination and collaboration among the representatives of the inland shipping industry, the insurance branche and the experts and looks after their common interests on an international level.

Institutional structure

The Association is governed by an international Council which is composed of representatives on behalf of each sector of every Member State of the Rhine and Belgium. The direction is charged with the management and has its seat in Rotterdam. The association has established a number of international commissions and committees for the treatment of the various subjects. Among these are the General Average Commission, the Technical Commission and the Legal Commission.