Inland Waterways International..canals, rivers, boating, waterways restoration & conservation

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Inland Waterways International

campaigning for inland waterways worldwide since 1995

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IWI brings together people and organisations who support the conservation, use, development and proper management of inland waterways worldwide. It aims to raise public awareness of the benefits of using waterways for a wide range of activities, from inland shipping to pleasure cruising, towpath walking and other recreational uses. It also promotes restoration, where appropriate, of waterways which have become derelict.
Its membership includes leading navigation authorities, as well as voluntary bodies, museums and commercial companies. Individual members include both users and experts in the various disciplines.
All have a keen interest in both the history and the modern significance of inland waterways for commercial carrying and leisure use. Today the membership covers 15 countries from around the world.

Notice is given of
IWI's 12th Annual general meeting
on Tuesday 12 June 2007, Liverpool, England.

Join IWI

Members receive regular news of campaigns and developments in all areas through the magazine World Wide Waterways and newsletter IWI News. World Wide Waterways No 19 is currently in preparation.

IWI officers

President David Ballinger Canada

Secretary David MacDougall Canada

Treasurer Michael Reid UK

Vice-presidents

Thomas X. Grasso USA
David Edwards-May France

Ulster Canal
restoration planned

The Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern announced on November 4, 2006 that his government plans to restore and re-open the Ulster Canal. This is a significant new North-South project, in the wake of the 1998 "Good Friday" agreement. The €200 million project, which also includes several cross-border roads, will be implemented jointly with the UK government departments responsible for infrastructure investments in Northern Ireland. The 74km canal links Lough Erne and Lough Neagh.

Local authorities expect the canal to be a catalyst for regeneration in the economically depressed border region, as was the Shannon-Erne waterway reopened in 1994. Brian Cassells, president of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland, welcomed the news in a statement issued on November 8, thanking the Taioseach (prime minister) for his commitment. IWAI believes that re-instating this "missing link" in Ireland's inland waterways network will bring major benefits to the communities living in the canal corridor and will be a major boost to the development of tourism in the region. Mr. Cassells also acknowledged the support and commitment shown by Eamon O'Cuiv Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands for several years. IWI has also regularly featured the Ulster Canal in its publications.
Ireland's Waterways Map & Directory available to order.

World Canals Conference

IWI has a permanent seat on the steering committee which selects the site to host this annual event. See on our events page details of the 2007 event in Liverpool, UK (June 13-15), as well as accounts of the earlier conferences. The conference currently alternates between North America and Europe.

Brussels exhibition

Netherlands MEP Corien Wortmann-Kool cuts the ribbon on the exhibition to promote the cause of inland waterways, which was held at the European Parliament in Brussels on October 4-8, 2004. She is watched by Magnus Anderberg, president of EBA. The exhibition was sponsored by MEP Martin Callanan, and combined with a high-profile symposium on October 6. IWI took part in organisation of the event, with Alliance Internationale de Tourisme (AIT), the European Boating Association (EBA), ICOMIA (EURMIG) and DBA The Barge Association.
The Symposium was opened by Karla Peijs, Netherlands Minister of Transport. The event contributed to raising awareness of the value of all recreational waterways among MEPs, as well as the staff of the various EU institutions and specialist bodies.

EU directive on engine
noise and emissions

Thanks to a persistent effort by dedicated specialists over a period of 3 years, IWI (with other organisations) was able to contribute to a number of key changes in the proposed directive, which makes the final version more logical and realistic. It was for this kind of activity that the IWI was conceived, but advice and information is also regularly offered to individual members who are users of the waterways.

IWI founder