The CCNR, the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (in Dutch: de Centrale Commissie voor de Rijnvaart) has been playing its part for more than 200 years in safeguarding the safety, economy and continued flourishing of inland navigation all along the Rhine River and the nations it flows through.

The underlying ‘Mannheim Declaration’ is the driving force behind dynamic Rhine and inland navigation and still forms the basis for intra-European collaboration and solving modern-day challenges in fields such as the energy transition, labour market, automation, and shallow water periods.

Concluding the French chairmanship of the CCNR, Concordia Damen’s founder and CEO, Chris Kornet, attended the ‘Colloquium’ in the beautiful Palais du Rhin in Strasbourg. Note that the Netherlands is CCNR’s next Chair.

Chris says: “The Declaration of Mannheim is an extraordinary example of partnership between countries. We are grateful to former generations for this achievement that started so long ago. Today, our generation has an obligation to the next generation. Not only should we ensure a safe and economically viable Rhine River environment, but we also need to reduce emissions and create a more sustainable context for the future, both as to climate and business. We thank our French colleagues for the two-year chairmanship. As Concordia Damen, we are grateful to have been part of this celebration and are happy that we could exchange our views on creating a sustainable, zero-emission inland waterway fleet. We wish the Netherlands a prosperous chairmanship for coming two years and will gladly play our part in further realizing the goals that the CNNR members agree on.”