News

The 23rd of November marked the closing event of a successful transnational partnership co-initiated by Pro Danube for the benefit of the Danube ports community - the DIONYSUS project. Supported by the Danube Ports Network, Pro Danube has successfully coordinated numerous knowledge-transfer & creation as well as capitalisation activities, facilitating synergies with EU transport policy initiatives and other port development-related projects.

Developed by Pro Danube, a video, highlighting the project's main achievements and its enduring impact on the well-being of Danube ports was officially launched in the frame of the final event. 

The video can be accessed here.

Under the lead of Duisport, the world’s largest and most advanced tri-modal inland hub terminal, 21 other project partners from Western, Central and Eastern Europe have met at the premises of Duisburg Port on the 7^th and 8^th of September to kick-start the ambitious project MultiRELOAD focusing on facilitating port solutions for efficient, effective and sustainable multimodality.

Inland ports are key for multimodal transport chains, for both continental and maritime transport. There are 225 inland ports in Europe, many of which act as key multi-modal logistics and economic hubs near urban nodes, providing mobility infrastructure and smart solutions for both passengers and freight.

MultiRELOAD enhances the collaboration between different freight nodes in Europe to jointly test innovations and create favourable market conditions for multimodal freight transport solutions. To this end, MultiRELOAD will demonstrate solutions in three Innovation Areas with specific aims by 2025, mirroring the measures of the EU’s Smart Mobility Strategy, as follows:

A) Smart multimodal logistics: facilitate a shift from road to rail & IWT of 5%;
B) Digital & Automated Multimodal Nodes and Corridors: increase operational efficiency by 20 % raise of handling capacity;
C) Innovative business models: leading to an average cost reduction of freight transport by 10%.

For a total of 36 months, the MultiRELOAD consortium comprising of ports, highly innovative technology, logistics and service providers, leading European research institutions and well-connected networks will cooperate intensely to facilitate significant modal shift to sustainable modes of transport, radical efficiency increase of supply chains and capacity-sharing (data, infrastructure, loading space, etc.) for all operators within the key Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T) Rhine-Alpine and Rhine-Danube Corridors.

Duisport is internationally highly connected and acts as a role model and digital innovation trendsetter on the logistic supply chains worldwide. In MultiRELOAD, duisport together with the Ports of Vienna (AT) and Basel (CH) will lead the transition of inland ports towards carbon-neutrality by jointly testing, demonstrating, evaluating and rolling out highly innovative multimodal freight solutions in seven different demonstrations structured in the three thematic innovation areas named above. MultiRELOAD demonstrators will be set up, implemented and evaluated by regional consortia with port authorities, operators, supported by technology and service providers, and relevant research organizations. All MultiRELOAD innovations promise to significantly increase the flexibility, service visibility and reduce the average cost of freight transport on average by 10%.

MultiRELOAD’s innovative solutions will be developed further towards sound business plans & models, ready for a wide uptake, thus improving the overall market maturity. The two already existing business incubators startport in Duisburg and thinkport Vienna will provide business angel expertise for new services & start-ups developing smart multimodal solutions. Finally, a wealth of final customers (i.e. logistics service providers, freight forwarders and cargo owners) will be directly involved by means of the MultiRELOAD User Forum for the validation of innovations, thus ensuring the market-readiness of solutions. 

The project receives funding under the Horizon Europe Call “Safe, Resilient Transport and Smart Mobility services for passengers and goods” | Call ID: HORIZON-CL5-2021-D6-01, Grant ID: 101069796

Project Consortium:

(Coordinator) duisport – Duisburger Hafen AG, Port of Vienna, Schweizerische Rheinhäfen, RhinePorts, Pro Danube Management GmbH, Transport Trade Services - TTS Austria, Advanced Security Engineering (ASE), FH OÖ Forschungs & Entwicklungs GmbH, FH OÖ Studienbetriebs GmbH, DST - Development Centre for Ship Technology and Transport Systems, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V., CargoBeamer, Rupprecht Consult - Forschung & Beratung GmbH, Rhine-Alpine Corridor EGTC, Hungarian National Association of Radio Distress-Signaling and Infocommunications (RSOE), Prodevelop, eYard, Alliance for Logistics Innovation through Collaboration in Europe (ALICE), Institut du Droit International des Transports et de la Logistique (IDIT), Smart Freight Centre, NOSTA Holding GmbH, Hungarian Federation of Danube Ports

Contact:

Project Coordinator                                                                                                                                                 
Jan-Christoph Maass                                                                                                                                                
Senior Project Manager – Research and Innovation                                                                                                  
Corporate Development and Strategy                                                                                                                       
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Partner responsible for this press release:
Robert Rafael / Ruxandra Matzalik Florescu
Managing Director / Senior Project Manager
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Given that navigation on the Danube section between rkm 563 to rkm 565 almost came to a complete standstill in the beginning of July 2022 with dozens of pushers, vessels, and hundreds of barges being forced to wait for the maintenance of the fairway by dredging, Pro Danube International, in its capacity as the voice of the Danube IWT industry, representing a wide network of businesses operating on the Danube, decided to submit a Call for Action on Co-operative Fairway Management in order to raise awareness on this problematic situation, urging for a proper long-term solution-finding process. This - reinforcing the similar proposal from September 2021 - includes quarterly meetings with the involvement of the IWT sector and the waterway administrations of Bulgaria and Romania. 

We also addressed the importance of starting to collect data about the limitations hindering the business on the fairway (closure, depth, width etc.) along the Danube section at least between rkm 563 to rkm 565. Current restrictions are mainly communicated verbally and – according to our knowledge - not officially administered for public access. This does not allow the creation of statistics on previous timeframes and even worse, cannot form an integral part of viable comparisons between past and future situations in order to see the concrete effects of dredging and maintenance activities on the businesses.

In the last days the situation on the above mentioned section became worse, and we are experiencing a complete standstill since the weekend 23-24 July 2022!

Pro Danube International's initiative furthermore highlights the fact that this issue has become unbearable and is posing a serious threat not only to business models but also to the overall trust, reliability, and economic viability of this mode of transport. This unfortunate situation is having a negative impact on the NAIADES III targets to significantly increase modal split and on the recently launched EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lane initiative aimed at supporting the export of Ukraine's agricultural produce. 

Pro Danube International´s facilitation proposal includes the arrangement of quarterly meetings as well as to start collecting basic data on the fairway limitations from the business perspective and is available for download here.

Pro Danube International was honoured to co-organise with the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions in the frame of the Seas, Rivers, Islands, and Coastal Areas Intergroup of the European Parliament the high-level event “Inland Waterways Transport in the Danube: Taking Stock of the NAIADES III Strategy”. The event, co-hosted by MEP Carmen Avram and MEP Caroline Nagtegaal, represents a highlight of our Europe-wide campaign dedicating the year 2022 to the promotion of Danube Logistics and Tourism under the motto “GO GREEN, GO SMART – CHOOSE DANUBE IWT”.

Both the European Strategy for Smart and Sustainable Mobility as well as NAIADES III, as part of the EU Green Deal, seek to increase the share of Inland Waterways Transport (IWT) by 25% by 2030 and by 50% by 2050.  At the same time, given that one of the main challenges for the IWT sector is to make the necessary energy transition and to look for alternative energy sources and propulsions, the event provided the scene to discuss highly important aspects directly affecting the immediate future of IWT. Key-note speeches were delivered by important actors representing both the public (European Parliament and European Commission) as well as the private sectors.

In her opening speech, Ms. Caroline Nagtegaal-Van Doorn highlighted the fact that the Danube is an important shipping route for the European inland navigation in Central and Eastern Europe, connecting ten EU and non-EU countries. A key logistics axis of the entire region – and beyond, the Danube Region faces specific challenges. These challenges were high on the agenda of the event.

Representing a wide network of businesses operating on the Danube, Pro Danube International was represented by its Chairman Mr. Herfried Leitner and General Secretary Mr. Robert Rafael. Given the ambitious plan of the EU to become climate neutral and highlighting IWT’s crucial role in supporting this pathway, PDI’s Chairman discussed the prerequisite for a competitive Danube waterborne transportation. In order to support the transition towards climate neutrality while keeping a sharp eye on economic viability, several aspects need to be considered:

• Securing an efficient waterway infrastructure and maintenance, as there are still some serious bottlenecks that hamper navigability. To overcome these limitations in the fairway, we – as Pro Danube International - proposed to the Commission - that the IWT-sector, together with the waterway administrations should join forces and regularly and proactively, come together, and prepare a set of measures to maintain a Good Navigation Status.

• Provide support for the development of high-performing ports that serve as regional economic hubs and that enable the integration of IWT into multimodal logistic supply chains. Even though Danube ports understand their role in the logistics industry, there still is some room for improvements like less rigid regulatory barriers and obstacles for the creation of just-in-time synchromodal logistics solutions, then a higher level of automatization, and last but not least, flexible (as we call it) Port Services On Demand – services in the ports, which are available 24 hours – 7 days a week, like at train stations – or airports.

• When it comes to multi-modal solutions - there is a gap between the Upper & Lower parts of the Danube. We, therefore, need multi-modal solutions to reach the NAIADES III targets – and this is where we have to focus in the future – being ready for multi-modal services in the lower Danube section.

• Likewise important - one of the greatest challenges the sector faces is the source of energy. As of today, we are certain in saying there will be no "one solution fits all". Whatever the energy source will be, one thing is clear - it must be available along all routes. It would make no sense to use one source of energy on the Rhine and another one on the Danube.

• Customers of the sector, like steel manufacturers, fertilizer producers and the supply chain of agricultural products, rely on the waterborne transportation services across those rivers and between the regions. And the same goes of course also for the tourism – the vessel cruising - sector. This is a responsibility we have and therefore, we must ensure a coordinated, common approach between the regions.

• Digital transportation is another "hot topic" for the future of the industry. River Information Services and data (thanks to projects like the RIS COMEX) enable today's waterway transport and logistics users to properly calculate routes and it also enables us to lift documentation hurdles and remove administrative barriers. And this is where Pro Danube International says - “Same River – Same Rules” - no need anymore - for handwritten papers at border crossing and controls. Let’s re-use available data in the system, and save time and money for the operators.

Mr. Vasile Varvaroi, President of the Romanian Grain Traders Association (ARCPA) stressed in his intervention that the Danube is the most important means of transportation for customers worldwide through the Port of Constanta. Moreover, he underlined the great importance of IWT for the transport of Ukraine’s products – with this mode of transport playing an essential role in the functioning of the Solidarity Lanes.
 
The perspective of the tourism sector was brought in by Mr. Radu Comanici, the representative of Lüftner Cruises. In his intervention, Mr. Comanici stated that even though highly appreciated – the tourism sector on the Danube is still facing some difficulties mainly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sector is nevertheless slowly but surely recovering.
 
Representing DG MOVE, Ms. Daniela Rosca presented and discussed the European Commission’s objectives for the Danube Region such as supporting the sector’s transition towards climate neutrality while making IWT smarter & more attractive. Equally important is the creation of adequate premises for sustainable jobs.
 
In her closing speech, Ms. Nagtegaal stressed that the transport connection – via the recently implemented Solidarity Lanes – has to be further improved. IWT may play in this regard an essential role. Ms. Nagtegaal furthermore advocated for the introduction of a special European inland navigation fund to help the sector with its green and digital transition.

Pro Danube International would like to use this opportunity to thank all the keynote speakers as well as the attendees for their participation in this very important event. Special thanks go as well to our co-organisers CPMR and the SEArica Intergroup for hosting the event.

If you missed the event - the recording is available for download here.