News

Pro Danube is excited to announce our participation in the EU co-funded SUNDANSE project, an interdisciplinary initiative focused on developing structured and well-founded sediment management measures to restore the sediment balance in the Danube River.

The project kicked off in the most fitting place: on a cruise on the Danube, starting in Galati. SUNDANSE is an ambitious, 48 months long initiative funded under the Horizon Europe Programme and a vital component of the EU Mission: “Restore our Ocean and Waters”. The project aims to develop innovative and sustainable sediment solutions for the Danube River - Black Sea system, addressing critical environmental challenges related to sedimentation and contributing to the health and resilience of our waterways.

The SUNDANSE Consortium is coordinated by "Dunărea de Jos" University of Galați based in Romania. It brings together 20 innovation stakeholders and educational/research entities from 10 different European countries - Romania, France, Belgium, Israel, Serbia, Estonia, Ukraine, Austria, and Ireland. The initiative held its kick-off meeting on the 1-2 of July 2024 in Galați where the project’s roadmap was presented. We are proud to be part of this ambitious four-year project, bringing in the specific perspective of the Inland Waterway Transport industry, the key user of the Danube.

Together, we aim to create sustainable solutions for sediment management that will benefit the environment and the industries reliant on this vital waterway.

The official press release is available for download here

More information about SUNDANSE is available here: https://sundanseproject.eu/

We are thrilled to announce that Touax River Barges has decided to join the Pro Danubecommunity! 

With over 170 years of experience in river transport, Touax River Barges provides innovative and exclusive solutions for long-term leasing and sales of assets for manufacturers and river transport logistics operators on the main river basins in the world. Touax River Barges currently manages a fleet of 107 river barges, representing over 268.000 tons of freight transport capacity, and is the first operational lessor of bulk cargo barges in Europe and South America.

To find out more about our new member, please check www.touax-river-barges.com 

June marked the inaugural session of the Pro Danube Coffee Break, held online and exclusively for our valued members. This event brought together leading experts in the field of alternative fuels and proved to be a great success! These experts provided our members with invaluable insights into the challenges and opportunities of alternative fuels as a key element of IWT's pathway towards climate neutrality.

• • • • • Increase of sustainable fuels and decrease of fossil fuels dependency: our guest speakers emphasised the need for a significant shift towards alternative fuels in order to reduce the sector's reliance on fossil fuels. They highlighted current advancements and future prospects in the development and adoption of alternative fuels.
        • Regulatory issues: navigating the complex landscape of regulations surrounding alternative fuels was a major point of discussion. Our guest experts discussed existing regulations, expected upcoming changes and the impact of these regulations on the sector's transit towards climate neutrality.
        • Infrastructure challenges: the discussion touched upon the infrastructural requirements necessary to support the widespread adoption of alternative fuels. The experts shared with us their insights on the current state of infrastructure and the developments needed to meet future demands.
        • Taxation: Taxation rules play a crucial rule in the adoption of alternative fuels. The speakers discussed how different taxation strategies can incentivise or - on the contrary - even hinder a shift towards alternative fuels.
        • Pricing considerations: Pricing remains a critical factor in the adoption of alternative fuels. The discussion covered aspects such as production costs and the financial viability for the sector to make widespread use of alternative fuels.

The informal setting of the Pro Danube Coffe Break set the scene for another kind of meeting encouraging vibrant, open talks on one of the hottest topics of the industry, providing our members with the latest information and insights.

The Pro Danube Team would like to express its gratitude to our esteemd guest speakers whose contribution made this exclusive event truly special!

 

Pro Danube recently participated in the General Assembly organised by its sister association, Pro Danube Austria, held at the premises of the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria in Steyr. A highlight of this meeting was the election of Lisa-Maria Putz-Egger as the new president of Pro Danube Austria. Fritz Lehr will continue to support the association in his role as vice president. Pro Danube extends its congratulations to the newly elected management team.

A major topic of discussion was the recently adopted Trans-Europen Transport Network (TEN-T) Regulation. Pro Danube's General Secretary, Róbert Rafael, emphasised the regulation's importance and the challenges it presents to the Danube IWT community.

The new TEN-T Regulation aims to create seamless, high-quality transport networks across Europe, focusing on sustainable connectivity without physical interruptions, bottlenecks and missing links. The corridor approach is crucial to achieving the EU's goals of sustainable mobility and economic, social, and territorial cohesion.

• 2030: core network completion.
• 2040: extended core network completion (this intermediary deadline was introduced to advance the completion of large-scale, mainly cross-border projects).
• 2050: comprehensive network completion.

Key provisions for IWT
Several provisions are particularly relevant for our industry.

• Good Navigation Status: ensuring minimum requirements for navigability, especially low water provisions.
• Inland Ports Connectivity: ports must be connected to road or rail infrastructure and must offer at least one multimodal freight terminal accessible to all operators.
• Environmental Performance: ports should have facilities to improve the environmental performance of vessels.
• Digitalisation and Alternative Energy Solutions: the regulation also emphasises the importance of digitalisation and automation to increase the safety and sustainability of IWT.

In a nutshell, the revised TEN-T Regulation aims to improve the environmental performance of IWT highlighting the crucial role of multimodality in this regard.