The Ředitelství vodních cest of the Czech Republic was established by the Ministerstvo dopravy a spojů ČR as of 1 April 1998 as an organisational unit of the state. It deals with inland waterways of transport significance [1].
Legal status
It is now established by the Ministry of Transport under Section 51(1) of Act No. 219/2000 Coll. The founding charter is available in full on the directorate's website, in the wording of amendment No. 12 [1].
Scope of activity
The founding document defines the basic purpose of the organisation in six areas. The first is the preparation of materials and cooperation in setting the conditions and parameters for the construction, modernisation, repair, maintenance or administration of inland waterways of transport significance [1].
The second area is the preparation and implementation of new investments on these waterways, provided they do not concern the existing state waterworks managed by the Povodí state enterprises or their modernisation [1].
The third area covers the construction, modernisation, repair, maintenance and administration of state property that forms part of inland waterways of transport significance. This includes public ports, landing stages, transshipment points, mooring places, anchorages, service centres and special vessels, including the provision of public port services [1].
The fourth area is the care of property of the Czech Republic that serves the operation of the port in the German city of Hamburg and that the state owns or leases; this includes its construction, modernisation, repair, maintenance and administration [1].
The last two areas consist of building information services for waterway administration and providing information and publicity concerning the construction, modernisation, repair, maintenance and administration of inland waterways of transport significance [1].
Goals on the Elbe, the Vltava and the Baťa Canal
According to the directorate's home page, the navigable length of the Elbe, the Vltava and the Baťa Canal is 514 km. The directorate states that this network can be used for freight and recreational navigation far more than at present and that even relatively small investments would make it possible to carry more cargo by water and to open recreational navigation to more people [2].
According to the same page, the directorate's task is to create conditions for wider use of navigation, specifically by extending the waterways by 42 km, higher parameters, better facilities and public ports [2].