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Inland waterways vessels (IWV) have no mandatory regulations regarding their energy efficiency, as sea-going ships have. So far, there are just two proposed design energy efficiency evaluation methods, both based on IMO EEDI approach and data on EU inland navigation. Operational indicators and real-time navigation measurements from available literature do not exist. Therefore, this paper aims to introduce the energy efficiency in operation (EEO), assessed for the typical Danube cargo vessel. Firstly, an operational profile is acquired by tracking the vessel’s voyages, and by identifying actual constraints of each sector the vessel has sailed during the designated time. Secondly, EEO is incorporated within two available methods and calculated based on acquired operational data considering different navigational conditions. The paper shows how the energy efficiency vastly depends on variables such as water depth, current speed, draught, deadweight, river constraints. Analysis is performed for the most employed month of the vessel navigation, and annually. Depending on water level scenarios and during the selected month of sailing, the total amount of CO2 emitted is estimated to be between 22.7 t and 29.9 t, while the necessary average speed reduction (i.e., slow steaming) per sectoral voyage for the requirement compliance is calculated to be in between 4.8%-26%. Slow steaming is assessed to extend the time of voyage for 6.1-10.7 hours on monthly basis and 49-87 hours annually.

In 2015, the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR) created at its plenary session the European committee for drawing up common standards in the field of inland navigation (Cornite Europeen pour l'Elaboration de Standards dans le Domaine de Navigation Interieure - CESNI). The mission of the new body is to prepare and adopt technical standards in a variety of fields on inland navigation, and unify their standards for all EU countries. 26th November 2015 CES NI adopted the first resolution - European Standard laying down Techni­cal Requirements for Inland Navigation vessels (ES-TRIN). The document adopts in a standardised way the requirements contained in directive 2006/87 /EC and in the Rhine Vessel Inspection Regu­lations. At the moment, ES-TRIN is not binding per se, by the time it will be referred in legal frameworks EU Member States. For this paper, the most important chapters of Directive 2006/87 /EC and ES-TRIN concern engine design (chapter 8) and emissions of gaseous and particulate pollutants from diesel engines. It is worth to say that both documents has got the same regulations.