Nanjing,November 29, 2023- The Permanent International Association of Navigation Congresses (PIANC) organized the Seminar on Inland Waterways and Navigation Structures. The seminar, hosted by PIANC and organized by the Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute (NHRI) in collaboration with IF-CSHE, was attended by a distinguished group of industry experts, including Fellow of Chinese Academy of Engineering Mr. Hu Ya'an, Chairman of PIANC Inland Navigation Committee Philippe Rigo, Vice Chairman Asna Muskatilovich, and other senior professionals.

The Seminar was presided over by Gert Van Capellen, Secretary-General of PIANC, with Mr. Wu Wenhao, Executive Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of IF-CSHE, also in attendance as an invited guest.

During the Seminar, Hu Ya'an, along with Gert Van Capellen, Philippe Rigo, and Asna Muskatilovich, jointly presented the report of the PIANC Ship Lift Working Group. Hu Ya'an provided a detailed overview of the group's background, objectives, development process, and the key findings of the report. Gert Van Capellen then presented Academician Hu Ya'an with the officially published report and a special contribution certificate on behalf of PIANC.

Following the release ceremony, 11 members of the Inland Navigation Committee delivered academic presentations covering various topics, such as challenges and future prospects in inland navigation, waterway construction plans in Brazil, the resurgence of inland navigation in Japan, infrastructure in Serbia, responsibilities of the Danube River Committee, the US Army Corps of Engineers' water transport plan, navigational safety, inland navigation in South America, Seville Port, smart navigation, and others.

The Seminar was attended by over 100 experts, scholars, and graduate students from China, who witnessed the release of the working group report and engaged in discussions on the latest developments in the design, research, construction, operation, and maintenance of inland navigation worldwide.