PIANC is the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure.
PIANC provides expert guidance and technical advice by bringing together the best international experts, both public and private, on technical, economic and environmental issues relating to trends and challenges in port and waterway development and management. This is reflected in high-quality Technical Reports produced by four international technical Commissions (InCom, MarCom, EnviCom & RecCom) and a wide range of Working Groups.
Where is PIANC International located?
The international headquarters of PIANC are located in Brussels, Belgium at facilities provided by the Flemish government.
PIANC has members in 65 countries, of which 41 countries have the status of Qualifying Member. In these countries representatives of national governments, regional governments of a national state, intergovernmental organisations, or private companies joining forces to represent their country in the managerial bodies of PIANC. Qualifying Members are entitled to set up a National Section, which manages the membership of its country and organises local activities. 27 National Sections are recognised and operate to facilitate contacts between PIANC HQ and the local membership.
What does PIANC International do?
PIANC International operates through a Council, which directs the four international technical commissions: InCom, MarCom, EnviCom and RecCom, covering inland, maritime, environmental and recreational topics respectively. There is also a cross-Commission Permanent Task Group dealing with climate change issues.
Technical working groups are set up and managed by the Commissions. They are composed of participants from member countries who have interest and expertise in the issue being investigated. The groups gather, analyse, and consolidate state-of-the-art material from each country. The resulting reports are published and sent to each PIANC member.
Typical recent Working Group reports include:
- Design Guidelines for Inland Waterway Dimensions
- Ports on Greenfield Sites – Guidelines for Site Selection and Masterplanning
- Climate Change Adaptation Planning for Ports and Inland Waterways
- Guidelines for Marina Design.
Visit the PIANC headquarters website for
- details of the Commissions and their active Working Groups
- a list of all PIANC publications. These are free to PIANC UK members or otherwise available for purchase.
PIANC World Congress
Every four years the PIANC World Congress, open to all members, is held for the presentation and discussion of papers on subjects pertaining to waterways and maritime navigation.
The next PIANC World Congress will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, March 2022.