Danube Fairway Maintenance

The severe and long low-water season in autumn 2011 clearly demonstrated the lack of capacity of almost all waterway administrations to ensure minimum fairway depth. The continuous reduction of waterway maintenance works over several years resulted in a serious degradation of fairway depth and thus available draught. Safe and cost-effective navigation are put at great risk, millions of euros are being lost by the barging companies, the ports and by the industry sectors that depend on Danube transport as a normally reliable and efficient logistics channel.


With the help of its members, Pro Danube International exercises pressure on the governments of the Danube region to take action to restore proper fairway maintenance. Yet, fairway maintenance requires strong transnational co-ordination and top-down reforms. That is why Pro Danube International asked the European Commission, namely Vice-President Siim Kallas (EC DG MOVE) and Commissioner Johannes Hahn (EC DG Region) to assume this co-ordination work. On initiative of Commissioners Kallas and Hahn, the Danube Transport Ministers met in June 2012 in Luxembourg and signed a Declaration on Effective Waterway Infrastructure Maintenance. Pro Danube International closely follows the planned implementation steps of the Declaration and demands concrete actions on short and medium term.

 
Our success with regard to this topic depends on the support we receive from the businesses of the Danube region. You can directly benefit from our activities and initiatives by joining our network and supporting us with information and additional resources.