The transport of dangerous goods in and through the Netherlands is subject to national and international rules and agreements.
National laws and regulations
The Wet vervoer gevaarlijke stoffen, Wvgs (Carriage of Dangerous Substances Act, in Dutch) applies within the borders of the Netherlands. The Besluit vervoer gevaarlijke stoffen, Bvgs (Decree on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, in Dutch) supplements the Wvgs with additional rules.
The Regeling vervoer over de binnenwateren van gevaarlijke stoffen, Vbg (Regulations for the Transport of Dangerous Substances on Inland Waterways, in Dutch) sets specific requirements for the transport of dangerous goods on the inland waterways of the Netherlands, in 4 annexes:
- Annex 1: ADN translated into Dutch.
- Annex 2: Regeling vervoer gevaarlijke stoffen met zeeschepen, Rvgz (Regulation on the transport of dangerous goods by seagoing vessels, in Dutch).
- Annex 3: Supplementary regulations to the ADN.
- Annex 4: Approved bodies.
The ADN and its interpretations
The ADN is the European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Inland Waterways. The ADN sets out all the requirements that the transport of dangerous goods must meet. The AND is adopted internationally and amended every 2 years. This allows incident investigations, new knowledge, developments and practical problems to be included in new versions.
The UNECE website lists all published interpretations of the ADN.
Manual measurement of bunker fuels permitted again from 1 January 2027
From 1 January 2027, it will once again be possible, under certain conditions, to manually measure the quantity of bunker fuels that are toxic according to the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) through tank openings. This is set out in the ADN, the international regulations for the transport of dangerous goods by inland waterway.
Requirements for manual measurement
Manual measurement is only permitted if you cannot determine the quantity of fuel by any other reliable means and provided that you carry out the measurement safely.
Adjusted enforcement by the ILT
Until the new rules come into force, the ILT will not enforce the current ADN rule that measurements may only be carried out using a partially enclosed measuring system.
Stricter rules came into force in January 2025 prohibiting manual measurement. This change causes problems with the supply of bunker fuels. This is because the alternative of a closed measurement system is not always available, does not always work or is not correctly calibrated.
Allowing manual measurement from January 2027 makes it possible to determine the delivered quantity of bunker fuels more reliably. It also ensures that the work is carried out safely.
Multilateral and bilateral agreements
The UNECE website lists all valid multilateral and bilateral agreements signed by the Government of the Netherlands.
The Dutch-language versions of the agreements are available on the Rijksoverheid’s website (in Dutch).