A proud member of the NOVIMAR Consortium, Pro Danube was invited to participate at the closing event of the project organised in the Port of Antwerp. NOVIMAR – the result of a fruitful collaboration among logistic operators, the waterborne industry, public entities as well as research organisations, provided, after 4 and a half years of extensive research activities, tangible results in the field of the vessel train concept and the accompanying technical research & innovations. By bringing together a wide range of experts from academia, the business environment as well as policymakers, the final event discussed – in the aftermath of the EU’s ambitious plan to become the first climate-neutral continent – the role of the vessel train in achieving climate neutrality. It was unanimously agreed that the vessel train concept has the capacity to significantly increase the flexibility of cargo destinations, secure the optimal use of waterways, and support a more efficient crew deployment.Bringing in the Danube Region’s perspective, Pro Danube was represented by its General Manager, Robert Rafael. In his intervention, Mr. Rafael highlighted the specific needs and requirements of Danube IWT to efficiently adapt to the new European legislative framework in terms of innovative technologies uptake. Another hot topic touched upon during his intervention referred to container shipping on the Danube. Unlike in the case of the Rhine or other inland waterways of Western Europe, this type of transport is inadequately developed mainly due to improper waterway infrastructure. This ultimately leads to low predictability which in the end has a detrimental impact on the investment capacities of the businesses operating on the Danube. Nevertheless, even though there is still high level of attention to be dedicated, important steps forward in securing proper fairway conditions have been registered. Pro Danube, by acting as a harmonised voice of the Danube IWT industry, was actively involved in numerous actions to tackle this issue. Mr. Rafael concluded that creating a stable framework by putting Danube IWT high on the policy agenda is essential. Equally important are proper, easy-to-access and less bureaucratic EU and national funding opportunities. Modern infrastructure, well-qualified crew, green and energy-efficient vessel are key prerequisites to further strengthen the Danube’s role as the transport backbone of the entire region.
The NOVIMAR project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No. 723009 and is coordinated by the Netherlands Maritime Technology Foundation.
The recorded event of the NOVIMAR closing event can be accessed here.