UDP Seeking To Cooperate With Major Logistics Operators On River Danube

The Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company (UDP) is considering opportunities for cooperation with the largest logistics operators on the river Danube. The goal of such cooperation is the development of complex logistics solutions that will make it possible to compensate for the shortcomings of all the existing logistics routes. 

The Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company’s acting General Director Dmytro Moskalenko announced this, the CFTS portal reports.  

According to him, the company’s management is holding the relevant negotiations in a number of European countries, particularly in Romania, Hungary, and Austria. 

"The first meetings took place in Romania. Two of the main maritime logistics routes are connected with this country. These are the Sulina Canal and the Chernavoda Canal—port of Constanta. 

“The Sulina Canal's potential is limited due to its low throughput. The opening of the Bystre estuary has improved the situation, but the issues of insufficient depths and navigation safety remain. 

“The development of logistics through the Chernavoda Canal is also encountering certain difficulties. These are the loss of actual cargo capacity during periods of shallow water and fleet delays associated with the need to use the terminals of the port of Constanta. 

“Transshipment in the outer anchorages of the ports of Constanta, Sulina, Ust-Danube, and others could be a comprehensive solution. Based on either the barge—vessel scheme or the barge—storage vessel scheme," Moskalenko said. 

He added that major Romanian logistics operators have the capability of performing transshipment in the outer anchorages of ports. According to him, cooperation with foreign partners would make it possible to reduce the turnaround time of the UDP’s fleet, which would increase the company’s transport volume and competitiveness. 

As reported earlier, Moskalenko said in an interview with the CFTS portal in July that the UDP’s vision was to become not only a cargo carrier on the river Danube, but also a stevedore company. In particular, the company plans to install ship loading machines that will load cargoes from the pier onto ships. The transshipment volume will be 30,000-40,000 tons per month.