RTV Maastricht

Safety on the Maas under scrutiny

The Rijkswaterstaat (Roads and Infrastructure Commission) will be carrying out a study on the safety and bottlenecks along the Maas. This research is due to the fact that the amount of water traffic is increasing as well the size of the ships using the part of the river that runs through Maastricht.

Early testing proved that theoretically the river is safe, especially for those that use the route most often. However, due to the large number of foreign carriers that pass this part of the Maas, a reassessment of security is required. The investigation titled "Exploring marine safety in Maastricht" is charged with pinpointing and exposing bottlenecks on the river. The problems that boat captains may encouter will be highlighted and explanations on how to deal with these problems will be discussed. The goal is that by the end of 2018 the Maas will be a safe passage for Vb-class ships with a draft of 3.50 metres and a length of 135 metres.