BargeFlow Port Reporter
Guide

Rest times in inland shipping: A1, A2 and B explained

How much rest do you need, and how long may you sail? Here are the rules for operating modes A1, A2 and B side by side, in plain words and with the articles.

With the rest-time check below you enter your sailing and rest times and see right away whether the minimum rest is met. It is an aid, not legal advice: your logbook remains the official record.

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Rest-time check

Pick your operating mode and enter when the vessel sailed and when you rested. The outcome updates as you type.

Operating mode
Where do you sail?

The hours are the same on both. Only the law they are in differs; the check names the right article.

Tip: start at the end of your last long rest. For A1 and A2 the check looks 24 hours ahead, for B 48 hours.

When did the vessel sail?

Leave empty if you only want to check your rest.

When did you rest?

Real rest only: no tasks, not even standby.

Applies to me

Outcome

Your minimum rest is met according to what you entered.

  • OK: Longest rest in one go outside sailing time: 9 h. A1 needs 8 h in one go. (RSP art. 18.02 lid 1)
  • OK: Sailing time: 14 h. A1 allows at most 14 h. (RSP art. 18.01 lid 1 en 2)
  • OK: The vessel was stationary during the night break (22:00–06:00). (RSP art. 18.01 lid 3)

The night break and maximum sailing time apply on the Rhine (RSP art. 18.01) and in the same way on other Dutch inland waters (Binnenvaartregeling art. 5.2 and 5.4). If you sail under an exemption, such as for vessels under 55 metres (art. 5.15), its own stricter conditions apply.

This is an aid, not legal advice. The check only looks at the period you enter; the rules count from the end of each long rest. Your logbook remains the official record.

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BargeFlow Port Reporter works out the sailing and rest times per vessel from AIS, ready to copy into your logbook. Try it free for 60 days; you enter your payment details when you sign up.

How much crew do you need? Work it out on bemanningsterkte.nl

The three operating modes

The operating mode says how long your vessel may sail within 24 hours. On the Rhine that is in the RSP, the Rhine crew regulations (art. 18.01); on other Dutch inland waters in the Binnenvaartregeling (art. 5.2 and 5.4). The hours are the same on both. How much crew you need depends on it.

A1: at most 14 hours sailing

Once per calendar week it may be 16 hours, if you have an approved tachograph and, apart from the boatmaster, another member of the minimum crew holds a helmsman qualification. The vessel stops for 8 consecutive hours between 22:00 and 06:00.

A2: at most 18 hours sailing

The vessel stops for 6 consecutive hours between 23:00 and 05:00.

B: up to 24 hours sailing

Continuous operation, with a crew that can handle it.

How much rest do you need?

Rest applies per crew member, and does not count per calendar day but per 24 hours from the end of your last long rest (RSP art. 18.02).

A1: 8 hours in one go

Per 24 hours you have 8 hours of uninterrupted rest outside sailing time, counted from the end of your previous 8-hour rest.

A2: 8 hours, 6 of them in one go

Per 24 hours you have 8 hours of rest, 6 of them uninterrupted outside sailing time. The other 2 hours may fall during sailing. If you are under 18, you have 8 hours in one go, 6 of them outside sailing time.

B: 24 hours per 48 hours

Per 48 hours you have 24 hours of rest, including at least two periods of 6 hours in one go. Two separate blocks of 6 hours meet it, and one uninterrupted block of 12 hours or more counts as twice 6 hours too.

Rest during sailing

Under A1 and A2 your rest may also fall during sailing, if enough crew is on duty (including at least one boatmaster) and you can rest in a cabin of your own where noise stays at or below 60 dB(A) (RSP art. 18.02(4)). That noise level must show on the inland vessel certificate.

Rest means really free: no tasks, not even supervision or standby (paragraph 5). The usual watch on a moored vessel does not count as a task.

Rhine or other waters: what is the difference?

In short: for the hours it makes no difference. On the Rhine, which in the Netherlands includes the Waal and the Lek, the Regulations for Rhine Navigation Personnel (RSP) apply (Binnenvaartregeling art. 1.9). On other Dutch inland waters, chapter 5 of the Binnenvaartregeling applies (art. 5.1). It has the same operating modes: A1 at most 14 hours sailing, A2 at most 18 hours, B more than 18 hours (art. 5.2).

The night break and the 16 hours under A1 apply there too: art. 5.4 of the Binnenvaartregeling applies RSP art. 18.01(2) and (3) accordingly, as well as proof by tachograph (RSP art. 18.04(5)). For switching operating mode, art. 5.5 refers to RSP art. 18.03. For a push barge or towed barge without its own propulsion, look at the vessel that pushes or tows (art. 5.4(2)).

Outside the Rhine, the rest per crew member is in the Dutch Working Hours Decree for Transport (Arbeidstijdenbesluit vervoer). Are you an employee? Then you need at least 10 hours of rest per 24 hours, of which 8 hours in one go under A1 and 6 under A2. Under B it is 10 hours per 24 hours, 6 in one go, and 24 hours per 48 hours. On top of that you have at least 84 hours of rest per 7 days (art. 5.5:3(1)–(4)). If you are not an employee, for example as owner-boatmaster, you follow the RSP rest times (art. 5.5:3(5), since 16 September 2025 referring to RSP art. 18.02 and 18.03).

On the Dutch part of the Rhine those rest times for employees apply too, as long as you do not cross the German border (Binnenvaartregeling art. 1.9(2)). If you sail under an exemption, such as for motor vessels under 55 metres with one boatmaster (art. 5.15), its own conditions apply, for example 12 hours of rest and a 12-hour break around the night; see bemanningsterkte.nl. If you sail in another country, check the rules there as well. And if your collective agreement gives more rest, that applies (RSP art. 18.02(6)).

Three examples

Night rest across midnight (A1)

You sail from 06:00 to 20:00 and rest from 21:00 to 06:00. That is 9 hours in one go outside sailing time: fine. That the rest runs over midnight does not matter.

Waiting at a lock (A1)

You wait 2 hours at a lock in the afternoon and rest from 22:00 to 05:00 at night. That is 7 hours in one go: too short for A1. The 2 hours at the lock do not help, because you need 8 hours in one go. And as long as you have to be ready to lock through, it is not rest anyway.

A long day in A2

You sail from 05:00 to 23:00 and rest from 23:00 to 05:00, plus 2 hours around noon while a colleague steers. That is 8 hours of rest, 6 in one go: fine under the RSP. If you are an employee on Dutch waters, you need 10 hours of rest, so 2 more hours.

The logbook remains the official record

You record your sailing and rest times in the logbook on board. There is no electronic logbook to replace it yet. This check and BargeFlow Port Reporter help you line the times up and check them, so you have them ready for your logbook.

And how much crew do you need?

How many people must be on board depends on the operating mode, the length of your vessel and its equipment (RSP chapter 19). Work it out with the free calculator on bemanningsterkte.nl (in Dutch).

Frequently asked questions about rest times

Does my rest count from midnight?

No. The 24 hours count from the end of your last long rest: 8 hours under A1, 6 hours under A2 (RSP art. 18.02). A night rest across midnight is simply one rest.

Does waiting at a lock count as rest?

Usually not. As long as you have to be ready to lock through or sail on, you are not free, and then it is not rest (RSP art. 18.02(5)).

Does this apply to me as a self-employed boatmaster?

Yes. On the Rhine the RSP rest times apply to every crew member, including the owner-boatmaster. On other Dutch inland waters they apply in the same way through the Dutch Working Hours Decree (art. 5.5:3(5)). The extra 10 hours of rest per 24 hours applies to employees.

May I switch from A1 to A2?

Yes, under certain conditions (RSP art. 18.03). Check them before you switch, and record the switch in your logbook.

Is the outcome of the check binding?

No. The check is an aid to go over your times, not legal advice. What counts is what is in your logbook and what the rules say.

Sources

Checked in October 2026. Rules change now and then; when in doubt, the official text applies.

Your sailing and rest times from AIS?

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