News

 Our cordial welcome goes to our new member DP World Constanța! Thank you for trusting us and appreciating our joint efforts for the benefit of the Danube IWT sector.

DP World Constanța offers importers & exporters in Central Europe speedier and more cost-effective access to the Far East market than movement via the traditional routing over North Continental ports by avoiding congested intermodal bottlenecks in Western Europe. To promote this routing, DP World is actively developing an intermodal network reaching out from the port to assist shippers in the movement of their cargo. The current capacity of the terminal is approximately 1,200,000 TEU and there is sufficient land area for phased expansion to cater for volumes in excess of 4,500,000 TEU. 

DP World Constanța's terminal is acknowledged to be the Black Sea's premier container terminal, serving both the Romanian domestic market and a wider hinterland spreading into parts of Central Europe, together with first-class feeder connections to the Ukraine, Russia, Georgia & Moldova.

To find out more about our new member, please visit https://www.dpworld.com/constanta

Pro Danube would like to use this opportunity to inform you of the announced closure on the Slovak section of the Danube (river km 1,865.4 - 1,853, canal km 38.4 - 8.3) between September 28, 2021 (12:00 p.m.) and October 4, 2021 (00:00 a.m.).

Details from the Slovak Notice to Skippers are available here.

Pro Danube Management would like to invite you to participate in a survey carried out within Platina3 where a specific task is dedicated to improving the funding and financing conditions for investing in green technologies. This survey gives shippers and brokers an opportunity to play a significant role in the evolution process of vessels towards zero-emission.

What is there to gain for your company in answering this questionnaire? A chance to have your views included in a widely disseminated report and contribute to improving knowledge about the role of shippers/brokers in the greening challenge.

 
Details & participation is available here.

Interviewed by the Hungarian Magazine KözlekedésVilág, Pro Danube International's President, Mr. Herfried Leitner, discussed several aspects related to the challenges faced by IWT in terms of the EU's ambitious climate goals as stipulated in the European Green Deal and the difficulties faced by the industry in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.

Mr. Leitner emphasized that Pro Danube, in its capacity as the representative of the Danube IWT sector, acts as a gateway between the industry and the EU as well as relevant national decision-making entities. With the EU's declared goal of becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, the transport system - with IWT being regarded as one of the most environmentally friendly modes of transport - must undergo far-reaching changes and continuously adapt itself in a relatively short timeframe to new technologies in order to significantly reduce the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions. Meeting these objectives requires the continuous support of the IWT sector in order to be able to cope with these challenges. Mr. Leitner emphasized that greening techniques and the innovative pathway come with a huge cost. Hence, Pro Danube International offers the Danube IWT business community an organisational framework to address these challenges, serving its Members as a competence center for grants accession, consultancy, and project management.

The second topic touched upon by Mr. Leitner refers to the effects of the ongoing health crisis on the Danube IWT sector. Both cargo and passenger transportation was heavily affected, with the latter coming in 2020 to a complete standstill. Despite some drops in transported volumes, the year 2020 was not as dramatic as expected for cargo transportation. 

Mr. Leitner concluded that both challenges - in terms of adaptation to climate neutrality and the COVID-19 pandemic - offer opportunities for the IWT industry to emerge strengthened and able to benefit from the coming upturn.

The interview is available here in Hungarian language.