DIONYSUS – Integrating Danube Region into Smart & Sustainable
Multi-modal & Intermodal Transport Chains
DPN at the DC’s Expert Group on Port and Port Operations
Organised on 9 March, the second meeting of the Danube Commission’s Expert Group on Ports and Port Operations brought together more than 50 European experts ranging from the Coordinator of the Rhine-Danube Corridor, representatives of the European Commission, CINEA, as well as Pro Danube’s fellow branch organisations.
Both the DIONYSUS project, its achieved milestones for the benefit of Danube Region ports as well as the Danube Ports Network’s (DPN) ongoing activities as a knowledge facilitator and project initiator were high on the agenda. One of these recent initiatives is E4Danube – On Shore Power Supply in Danube Region Ports. While an initial presentation reflecting its early stages was delivered in the frame of the first meeting of DC’s Expert Group on Ports and Port Operations in September 2021, this week’s event provided the scene to present and discuss a more matured proposal.
Representing the DPN Technical Secretariat, Mr. Robert Rafael highlighted the advantages and challenges of on-shore power supply (OPS) in the greening process of Danube ports considering the ambitious legislation adopted by the European Union in terms of climate neutrality. The aim of the project is to investigate the economic viability of on-shore power supply in ports, including the applicable sourcing options as well as the uptake by vessels and potential other users in the Danube Region. The presentation highlighted that several aspects such as environmental, technical, legal, and infrastructural requirements need to be considered along specific “port location types”: ports in cities, ports in industrial areas, and remote ports, whereas lessons learned from already implemented solutions have to be considered.
Given that the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy clearly states that “Inland and sea ports have a great potential to become new clean energy hubs for integrated electricity systems (…)”, best case solutions and applicable pathways for the deployment of OPS as well as for energy storage facilities shall be investigated. The relevance of this initiative is furthermore grounded by the NAIADES III action plan and the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. Considering the ongoing revision of the TEN-T Regulation, keeping a sharp eye on its revised legal requirements is essential. The presentation furthermore touched upon another vital aspect – funding opportunities.
DPN’s intervention initiated a fruitful discussion among experts from the Danube-riparian countries in view of applicability, economic viability, and environmental impact. It was concluded that OPS indeed has the capacity to play an essential role in the greening transition of Danube inland and sea ports. The successful greening transition of Danube ports must be tackled as a joint transnational effort having the corridor approach as a priority, for which the DPN is ready to provide its full support.
Project presentations
Recently, the DIONYSUS consortium partner representing FTTE, participated in the following events:
Prof. Dr. Vladislav Maraš from FTTE gave the follwing presentations at these events:
- Container transport, a possible new market for the Danube: challenges and opportunities - Concepts for Container Liner Services on Danube (3rd PLATINA3 Stage Event)
- DIONYSUS Project: Integrating Danube Region into Smart & Sustainable Multi-modal & Intermodal Transport Chains (Blue Wave Week)
The 3rd PLATINA3 Stage Event – the Brussels sessions - brought together IWT policy makers of different horizons, professionals from demand and supply side, interested NGOs, research and academic experts. The following aspects were high on the agenda:
- inland waterway transport preparation to adapt to a changing climate;
- modal shift and decarbonisation;
- towards an EU emission label and energy index for vessels;
- the regulatory pathway towards a zero-emission fleet.
The presented DIONYSUS outcomes were related to the findings of D.T.1.3.1 Framework condition analysis on container liner services and D.T1.3.2 Concept for Container Liner Services. The presentation provided by FTTE highlighted the main results on assessing potential routes and services on the Danube River and, moreover, introduced a tool for the modelling of container liner services according to vessel concepts and market requirements. The tool Container Network Development (CND tool) is available here: http://dionysus.sf.bg.ac.rs and was also made accessible by the DPN’s website: https://www.danubeports.eu/port-knowledge-center/2-danube-ports-network/90-deliverables-and-outputs. The tool is available to any interested user free of charge.
Blue Wave Week Montenegro 2022 aimed at finding out how blue economy, marine & maritime resources can be used to boost the overall economic growth of the countries in the Adriatic/Ionian and Mediterranean area.TheDIONYSUS project, its background, aims, expected outcomes and achieved milestones was presented within the Clustering workshop on Blue Economy projects – Areas of Blue Growth Opportunities.
DPN Coordination Meeting successfully organised
Organised online on 6 April, the core objective of the Danube Ports Network (DPN) Coordination Meeting was to undertake a thorough review of the activities carried out in the frame of DIONYSUS where the DPN is at the heart of coordinated project capitalisation tasks. The meeting was organised by Ennshafen Port in collaboration with PDM.
The DPN is a vital element of project implementation, knowledge-creation, and transfer, contributing to synergies with EU transport policies and other port development-related projects. A project idea initiated by the DPN and currently under elaboration refers to the advantages and challenges of on-shore power supply (OPS) in the greening process of Danube ports considering the ambitious legislative framework adopted by the European Union in terms of climate neutrality.
The highlight of the Coordination Meeting was an interactive session aimed at brainstorming about pathways to attract more cargo on the Danube. This session was chaired by EHHO. The results can be summarised as follows: IWT has to take advantage of the EU’s commitment to become climate neutral. Increasing the sector’s capacity to attract more funding is essential in efficiently integrating IWT in the transnational transport & logistics chains. Attracting new markets and emerging industries is in this regard of utmost importance.
The third workshop dedicated to container line services (3rd Workshop on Container Liner Services), organized successfully within the DIONYSUS project
On April 14, 2022, the National Company Administration of Maritime Ports SA, partner in the DIONYSUS project, organized online the third workshop dedicated to container line services (3rd Workshop on Container Liner Services).
The event enjoyed the virtual presence of over 50 participants belonging to different categories of actors involved in promoting and developing container transport on the Danube, from decision makers representing the Transnational Danube Program, EFIP, Via Donau, to members of the project consortium, academia , but also of private companies..
The main objective of the DIONYSUS project is to integrate the Danube in an smart and sustainable way into the multi-, and intermodal transport chains within the transport corridors defined by the European Union for Central and Eastern European areas, for the transport of goods and people.
The third and final event in this series brought together stakeholders to develop container transport on the Danube, starting from the experiences gained but also taking into account the new market conditions, discussing the prospects of relaunching and supporting this type of transport."
High-level event to promote Danube IWT in the European Parliament
We cordially invite you to participate in the high-level event co-organised by Pro Danube International in the frame 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
The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness on recent and planned developments focusing on new beginnings in line with the European policy framework, highlighting the strengths and opportunities of Danube waterborne transport, while bringing together policy and decision-makers, experts, and the business sector in order to achieve the European goal of increasing transport by inland waterways and short sea shipping by 25% by 2030, and by 50% by 2050. As highlighted in the Action plan proposed within the Awareness and Promotion Strategy for Danube Transportation and elaborated in the frame of the DIONYSUS project, this Europe-wide initiative is a voluntary campaign and therefore plays a major role in efficiently and enduringly promoting IWT well beyond the Danube Region.
Entitled "Inland Waterways Transport in the Danube: taking stock of the NAIADES III Strategy", the online event is co-hosted by MEP Carmen Avram, SEArica Vice-Chair for the Danube and the Black Sea & MEP Caroline Nagtegaal, SEArica member & EP rapporteur of "Towards Future-proof Inland Waterway Transport (IWT) in Europe".
The event is supported by SEArica - Seas, Rivers, Islands & Coastal Areas Intergroup of the European Parliament and is co-organised by Pro Danube International and the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions.
For more details and registration please check: http://www.searica.eu/2020-2024/events-2019-2024/inland-waterways-transport-in-the-danube-taking-stock-of-the-naiades-iii-strategy.
“New opportunities for cargo traffic through the Port of Constanta” presented in Budapest
The potential of Constanta Port and containerized transport on the Danube between the Central European countries together with the Black Sea and Caspian Sea areas were highlighted on 12 May in Budapest, during the event “Constanta Port Day” that reached its 14th edition. The event was organized by the Port of Constanta Administration. Together with the PCA, three reference companies from the port operators – Comvex, TTS and SCS participated at the event in Budapest.
On this occasion, PCA presented to the participants in the transport industry from Hungary the opportunities offered by the Port of Constanta for the transit of cargo, as well as the advantages that makes it the most important hub for the Central and Eastern European area.
Constanta Port Day represented an excellent opportunity to present and disseminate the DIONYSUS project and its outputs and deliverables, with a specific focus on containerized transport throughout the Danube Region. Mr. Silviu Meterna, as Lead Partner on behalf of PDR, reached out to more than 100 participants presenting the main priorities and outcomes of the project that have been achieved so far but also pointed out the remaining tasks to be finalized and implemented. The Lead Partner underlined the importance of the promotion and support for such European projects that can actively contribute to the development of river transport and the related industries.
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DIONYSUS presented by Pro Danube at a workshop organised by UNECE
Pro Danube was honoured by the invitation of UNECE to present in the frame of its 60th session of the Working Party on the Standardization of Technical and Safety Requirements in Inland Navigation (part of the working group on “Prevention of pollution from inland waterway vessels and greening of the inland transport sector”) port development projects in the Danube Region. The event, attended by several European IWT experts ranging from River Commissions, representatives of IWT branch organisations and policy makers, set the stage for the participants to take part in fruitful discussions and share their experiences and examples of best practices to facilitate the greening of inland navigation. During its intervention, Pro Danube represented by Ms Ruxandra Matzalik Florescu, provided insight to Danube Region projects on ports, highlighting several examples of past, ongoing, and planned projects delivering solutions for the benefit of Danube Region ports.
Starting with the policy initiative launched by Pro Danube in 2016, the Green Deal for Danube River Transport proposes a set of solutions that focus on the modernisation of the fleet, the reduction of the environmental impact, and the development of Danube ports as catalysts for economic development on the regional level and beyond. In 2017, Pro Danube successfully started the implementation of the Green Deal by means of the DANTE and DAPhNE transnational projects and has taken serious actions towards the modernisation of the Danube fleet in the framework of the GRENDEL approach.
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4th SCOM, Consortium and WP & Activity Leaders Meetings successfully orgnised in Belgrade
The Port Governance Agency hosted two-days meetings of partners in the scope of international project DIONYSUS. The 4th Consortium, SCOM and WP & Activity Leaders meetings were held on June 1st and 2nd in a hybrid format - face-to-face in Belgrade and online, and brought together representatives of partner institutions.
The meeting was also attended by Mr. Horst Schindler Project Officer of the Danube Transnational Programme and Mr. Manfred Seitz, Director General of the Secretariat of the Danube Commission.
Mr. Silviu Meterna, General Manager of Pro Danube Romania, Lead Partner of the project, praised the Agency's initiative to hold the partner meetings as an on-site eventand appreciated the successful organization of the conference. He pointed out that direct communication of participants is of great importance for the successful implementation of project activities.
Mr.Horst Schindler informed the participants about the priorities that will be included in the next projects financed by DTP. He paid special attention to projects for the development of the "smart" and "green" Danube. He anounced that the call for project proposals is expected be published in the fall.
Mr. Manfred Seitz announced that the Danube Commission is preparing the text of the Declaration on the decarbonisation and sustainability of river and seaports in the Danube Region, which is expected to be signed by the end of this year. The declaration will document the will of Danube ports to develop strategies and projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030.
During the meetings, the work of the partners so far was analysed and further steps for the implementation of activities in the final period of the project were determined. Representatives of the Agency announced that in the coming months, as part of the project, this institution will create master plans for the further development of ports in Prahovo, Bačka Palanka and Bogojevo.
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2nd Stakeholders Meeting on Port Pricing Systems
On Tuesday, June 14th, the 2nd Stakeholders’ meeting was organized as an online event by the public port Authority Vukovar. The purpose of the meeting was to address the second part of the meeting within thematic Work Package 2 as a part of activity 2.3. Port Tariffs. The first meeting was organized by the iC Consulenten ZT where the main part of the meeting referred to issues such as the type of charges applied in ports, the entities responsible to levy different charges, entities who bear the costs generated by these charges, the methodology for determination and/or calculation of applied charges in the Danube region ports. The second meeting’s focus was on the suggestions and possibilities for the introduction of alternative port pricing methodologies."
Another green investment of the DIONYSUS project partner Bulmarket in environmentally friendly transport
On 26 May 2022, the Romanian subsidiary of Bulmarket Softronic Craiova performed tests and handed over the first two Transmontana locomotives to the operator United Railways. The contract for the two Transmontana locomotives was signed in the fall of 2021, for the first two units, 480 -063 and 480-064, named Giurgiu and Ruse.
After completing the tests between Softronic and Bucharest Băneasa, 480-063 left for Ruse, and 480-064 returned to Craiova where it will wait for the completion of the circulation documents, the latter will arrive in Ruse for registration in Bulgaria. The two locomotives will generally operate in Romania.
The renewal of Bulmarket's wagon stock follows a consistent policy of switching to fully environmentally friendly vehicles with a zero-carbon footprint on the environment. With these innovative solutions that are already implemented, the Port of Bulmarket expands and is gradually realizing its company goals, which will be beneficial to both the city of Ruse and the entire Danube region.
