Press Release No. G/43/00
3 November 2000

BANGKOK (United Nations Information Services)—World’s leading inland water transport and dredging decision makers and executives will meet at a United Nations conference to discuss critical issues on sustainable development of inland water transport and dredging industries in the 21^st century in Bangkok.

Inland water transport is of great importance in the Asian and Pacific region in providing services for the movement of cargo and passenger on rivers, lakes and canals. It has many inherent advantages over the other modes of transport, due to its large capacity , low cost, least pollution, energy efficiency, safety, least land consumption and lower investment requirement.

At the same time dredging capacity is vital as most inland waterways in the region suffer heavy siltation resulting from high rainfall and soil erosion which can limit their potential application to transport. The enormous demand for dredging in the region has promoted the development of dredging fleet which now accounts for more than a half of the world’s capacity.

The first International Conference/Exhibition on Inland Water Transport and Dredging is being jointly organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific(ESCAP), Thailand Ministry of Transport and Communications, Office of the Maritime Promotion Commission, Harbour Department, Port Authority of Thailand and Japan Transport Cooperation Association from 13-16 November 2000 at the United nations Conference Centre in Bangkok.

The main objectives of the Conference/Exhibition are to: a) exchange experiences in successful policy formulation for development of inland water transport (IWT) and dredging; b) exchange experiences on investment and private sector participation in IWT and dredging; c) provide opportunity for governments, private sector to meet and explore increased cooperation and d) provide the opportunity to exchange information on the latest developments in IWT and dredging, and demonstrate skills/services and exhibit the latest technologies in IWT and dredging.

During the two-day Conference (13-14 November), delegates will have the opportunity to discuss the latest information and updates on government policies supporting IWT and dredging, inter-modal transport an the role of IWT, winning factors in promoting public-private cooperation an new innovative technology.

More than 20 senior government officials and leading industry experts are expected to participate in the conference and deliver detailed presentations on such projects as the Yangtze Estuary Deepwater Channel Regulation Project; Shiplock of the Three Gorges; Hong Kong’s Penny Bay’s Project for the new Disney theme park; upper Mekong navigation cooperation and inland waterway improvements in Mekong Delta.

In addition to the Conference, a four-day exhibition (13-16 November) showcasing the latest technological advances in inland waterways, vessels, terminals and dredging technology, will be organized as well as the ESCAP annual session of the Intergovernmental Committee on Transport, Communications, Tourism and Infrastructure Development (15-17 November).

All major IWT and dredging countries in the Asian and Pacific region will participate in the Conference.