Pro Danube - News

: 07 July 2017

Petition for urgent dredging of the most critical sections of the Bulgarian Danube sector

With the support of over 60 members and undersigned organisations, Pro Danube approached the Bulgarian Transport Minister Mr Ivaylo Moskovski in order to ensure immediate dredging of the critical Bulgarian Danube sections. Based on the information received from the hydrographic surveys of the Danube fairway performed beginning of June by the Bulgarian waterway administration, it became clear that especially at the locations of Milka Island (km 569 – 567), Brashlyan Island (KM 457-455) and Popina (KM 407-405) the fairway depths will fall even below 1,8 m in case of shallow water situations which can be expected usually for summer and autumn. These well-known bottlenecks have created in previous years (2011-2016) several times severe restrictions to navigation or even total blockage leading to massive financial losses.

This official request on behalf of the industry is in line with the international obligations of the State of Bulgaria to ensure minimum navigation conditions and with its commitments within the EU initiatives for improving maintenance of the Danube fairway (by signing the Declarations of the Danube Transport Ministers in Luxembourg/June 2012, in Brussels/December 2014 and in Rotterdam/June 2016).

In addition, PDI informed the EU Commissioner for Transport Ms Violeta Bulc and Commissioner for Regional Policy Ms Corina Cretu on the critical state and asked to urge the Bulgarian minister for Transport to act immediately in order to avoid blockage of Danube. Further interventions on various political and administrative levels are planned in the next two weeks if necessary.

We would like to use this chance and thank again all those organisations that have supported our initiative. The letter and list of undersigned companies can be found attached to this news.

Letter to Mr Ivaylo Moskovski, Bulgarian Transport Minister

List of undersigned companies

: 16 May 2017

Workshop "Natural Gas for Inland Shipping", Strasbourg

A workshop on the challenges and options for the use of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Compressed Natural GAS (CNG) organised in the framework of the European Inland Barging Innovation Platform will take place on 21 June 2017 in Strasbourg, between 09:00 and 13:00.

Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfrohJTBuNyNu77bTbcCxKGmOSxUR9SJcBEqxi4ScSRvil-ew/viewform

Place: Le Vaisseau - 1 Bis Rue Philippe Dollinger, 67100 Strasbourg

Agenda:

Levers, limits and development strategy
Testimonials and feedback
Roundtables with european experts
Lunch and visit of Gambsheim Locks

: 27 April 2017

Maritime Industry 2017, Gorinchem

On 9 to 11 May 2017, Evenementental Gorinchem will host a brand new version of the Maritime Industry exhibition.
The Netherlands is Europe’s main maritime industry hub. Europe’s largest inland shipping fleet, as well as a broad range of ocean-going vessels can be found here. Netherland's harbour capacity is the largest in the world. During Maritime Industry, the whole nautical sector meets at the well of the water region for networking, creating a common ground for cooperation, and for keeping up with the latest industry trends and developments. In short, as an exhibitor, you get to meet a wide and full target audience, and simultaneously hear the latest in the sector.

Date	9 – 11 May 2017
Time	All days from 13.00 till 21.00
Venue	“Maritime Industry 2017” Fair Evenementenhal Gorinchem (booth 224 of Innovation Lab) Franklinweg 2 4207 HZ Gorinchem the Netherlands
Contact	T: +31 (0) 183 680 680 E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Details	http://booking.evenementenhal.nl/en/maritime-industry-go-2017/gorinchem

: 23 February 2017

EU funded project DAPhNE officially kicked off in Budapest

On 20 February 2017, the transnational DAPhNE project was officially launched in Budapest. The event brought together high level representatives from the European Federation of Inland Ports (Mr Alexander van den Bosch) and from the Hungarian Federation of Danube Ports (Mr Szalma Béla), as well as more than 50 experts and stakeholders with a dedicated interest in the Danube navigation and the development of Danube Ports.

DAPhNE – initiated and coordinated by Pro Danube – aims to facilitate a balanced development of Danube Ports as eco-friendly, well accessible multimodal hubs for the transport system of the region and to turn Danube Ports into buzzing economic centres functioning as catalysts for economic growth and creation of high value jobs.

“DAPhNE facilitates Danube ports to become key-elements of a more efficient and sustainable transport network in the Danube region”, says Manfred Seitz, General Secretary of Pro Danube International

The project will establish a well-managed and permanent working platform which tackles the most urgent insufficiencies with the help of guidelines, recommendations and concrete pilot activities based on best practices and leading into an overall development strategy and action plan. The solutions elaborated by the consortium will be shared with more than 60 Danube ports as possible blueprints. Improved coordination and transnational integration achieved via pilot actions and common tools developed by private and public members of the port community will lead to joint solutions for revising and harmonizing port legislation, port administration and port management in the entire Danube region.

Ports from the Upper Danube will cooperate with those from the Central & Lower Danube to support them in improving the regulatory framework, as well as port management and port development practice. Best Practices, guidelines, recommendations and several tools will be developed and disseminated into the port community by establishing a Port Network in order to eliminate the gaps between the stakeholders, both from public and private sectors. Special attention will be paid to the improvement of the eco-performance of the ports in order to contribute to the ecological balance of the river and to improve the situation of the port municipalities.

About the project and the needs behind
“DAPhNE – Danube Ports Network” project is co-funded by European Union Funds (ERDF, IPA) under the Danube Transnational Programme and will run for 30 months (January 2017 – June 2019). The project is implemented by a transnational consortium of 16 co-funded organisations and 7 associated strategic partners (public authorities, consulting companies, universities and NGOs) from 9 European countries (AT, SK, HU, HR, RS, RO, BG, UK, MD). The project has a total budget of 2.985.406,15 Euro, out of which ERDF contribution amounts 2.415.219,42 Euro & IPA contribution amounts 122.375,77 Euro. More information is available at: www.interreg-danube.eu/daphne

Project Coordinator
Pro Danube International – Association for the promotion of transportation on the Danube, Handelskai 265, 1020, Vienna, Austria, www.prodanube.eu

Contact person
Raluca Danila, Pro Danube International, Project Manager, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +43 1 890 66 47 23

This is a common press release of Pro Danube International and the Hungarian Federation of Danube Ports. Any reproduction of parts of this press release or the entire usage of it shall be made with the consent of these organisations.