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River traffic as a branch of transportation system is characterized by certain specific features. The paper identifies similarities and differences between maritime and river traffic, with particular stress upon specific features related with technological processes implemented in inland waterways transportation. The inland waterways transportation system functionality often depends on the infrastructure reliability rate, with navigation restrictions depending on changeable navigability and water level of rivers and canals. River transportation technology is based on vessels' best tonnage exploitability with regard to the waterway. Vessels' sizes and types must meet the respective requirements. Technical and technological features of ports and landing places, their structure and cargo-handling gear must meet vessels' requirements, hydrological fluctuations and their impact on banks. In order to overcome the difference in waterway levels, vessels are required to pass through locks, which in their turn have a manifold influence upon their sizes as well as the whole transportation process. In order for the issue to be properly understood, it is important for the terminology to be precisely determined owing to specific terms used in river traffic, in particular those denoting inland waterway and navigable waterway, ship and boat/vessel, convoy and pushed tow, and port and landing place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]