Traffic up 85.8% - Constantza Port gaining in significance in transport of goods from Serbia

(Vladan Misic, representative of Constantza Port in Serbia)

Constantza Port Day was held 20 September 2012 in Novi Sad, this being its sixth edition in Serbia. It is the second year that this event is organized in Novi Sad. Last year’s success and the interest shown by the partners from this region determined the return of the event to the port on the Danube.

Over 200 representatives of the companies operating in transports and logistics in Serbia, local authorities, delegates from ports on the Danube came to Master Congress Center to meet the representatives of Constantza Port, being interested in business opportunities, in extending and consolidating the commercial relations. Already a tradition in Serbia, the event also captured the attention of businessmen from neighboring countries, such as Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Hungary, Germany and Switzerland.

Nemanja Vukcevic, representative of the Novi Sad Local Council, emphasized the importance of the Danube for the economies of the two regions and the river potential not yet used for its real value.

The representative of the Romanian Embassy in Belgrade, Dragos Ispas, welcomed the initiative of the NC Maritime Ports Administration SA, the event organizer, to bring together businessmen to find new fields and ways to expand the bilateral relations between Romania and Serbia.

(the event was attended by more than 200 representatives of transportation and logistics companies)

- In the first semester of this year, the commercial exchange between the two countries reached USD 473.25 million, with exports amounting to USD 366.34 million and imports being at USD 106.91 million. Romanian authorities, professional associations and companies from our country, considering the evolution of the Serbian economy, look for new opportunities in order to begin new business or to develop those in progress - Ispas said.

The growing interest for this event, represents the evidence that the efforts that Maritime Ports Administration Constantza has made in this region, from 2007 to present, have consequences, proper partnerships with Serbian companies show their results. In fact, the evolution of the traffic of goods between Constantza Port and the Serbian ports represents an important sign that speaks a lot about the potential of collaboration between the two parties.

In 2007, the first year when Constantza Port Day was held in Serbia, the traffic of goods between the two parties was 1 million tonnes, while in the first months of this year, it reached 4.5 million tonnes. In the first eight months of this year, the traffic of goods between Constantza Port and the Serbian ports amounted to 4,356,034 tonnes, compared to 2,344,435 tonnes in the same period last year. The traffic growth is 85.8%.

(George Visan)

- Also, the overall traffic in Romanian maritime ports has been up 15% in the first eight months of this year, as compared to the same period of last year. As regards the river traffic, it has a spectacular evolution, registering an increase of 38.5% at the end of August 2012 against August 2011. The container traffic is experiencing a rebound, with the amount of goods growing 6% and the number of TEUs increased by 7.7% in the given period - said George Visan, commercial director of NC Maritime Ports Administration SA Constantza.

Currently, there are three regular container lines operating on the Danube: Constantza – Belgrade – Constantza, Constantza – Giurgiu – Constantza and Constantza – Giurgiulesti – Constantza. From Constantza Port it is possible to make connection to over 20 regular container lines whose routes include ports from China, Egypt, Turkey, Israel, South Korea, Ukraine, Spain, Russia, India, Greece, Georgia etc. Besides these, two Ro-Ro (Constantza – Sete – Alger – Sagundo – Valencia - Constantza) and ferry lines (Constantza - Pendik) are operational.

Commercial Director George Visan presented to the Serbian businessmen the facilities and capacities of Constantza Port, the advantages resulting from the connection with the Danube, through the Danube-Black Sea Canal, new investment projects of the port administration, but also development intentions of the companies from Constantza Port.

- The major ongoing infrastructure investment projects in Constantza Port and the efforts of the NC Maritime Ports Administration SA to attract private investments increase the chances of maintaining Constantza Port among the first competitive ports in this region and transforming it into the most important distribution center for the Central and Eastern Europe region - said George Visan.

(Daniel Georgescu)

Daniel Georgescu, general manager of the Administration of Navigable Canals, stated that there was a constant work on identifying the projects for the improvement of navigation on the Danube-Black Sea Canal, by attracting European funds.

- At the end of these projects, our goal is to reduce costs and transit time on navigable canals. It is known that water transport is the cheapest mode of transport and our policy is to attract more and more operators.

On that occasion, the important role of Serbia as an important partner of Constantza Port in the Danube region was underlined. Currently, an enhancement of the cooperation between the riparian countries is aimed, and the common efforts of the two countries, encouraged by the European Union, may cause the development of the Danube as an important transport route for the South-Eastern and Central Europe. The common efforts put into promoting the transport on the Danube and the interest shown by the exponents of the transport industry from the two business environments, the Serbian and the Romanian one, confirm that there are appropriate conditions for the development of the transit traffic between Constantza and Serbia.

The participants had an opportunity to make direct business contacts, to meet partners in the same field of interest, to identify new opportunities.

After the event held at the Congress Center Master, the delegation of Constantza Port had important meetings in Novi Sad, with the local authorities and business representatives.

The company’s management met with some of the most important participants in the Constantza Port Day event: MK Commerce, Uniqa, Agent Plus and Elixir Group.

Some of them have been among the most important Serbian partners of Constantza Port in the latest years. Others want to expand their businesses, such as Agent Plus that has recently opened an office in Constantza to be closer to the Romanian partners.

(Ivana Umeljic)

Ivana Umeljic, deputy director of Uniqa insurance company, stated: “It is a great pleasure for us that the company Uniqa backed and participated in the event Constantza Port Day in Novi Sad. Among the permanent activities of the Uniqa Transport Insurance Center are communication and cooperation with foreign trade companies, transport organizers, shipping agents and other participants in the traffic of goods in the reaffirmation of needs and importance of the insurance of goods in transport. Constantza Port Day was an excellent opportunity for us to introduce participants in the traffic of goods to the insurance of goods in transport as the only way to protect the interests of the owner of goods.”

The business relationships that were initiated and developed during the six editions of Constantza Port Day in Serbia show that this event is a very important support for building strong partnerships with concrete effects on the turnover of the Romanian and Serbian companies, many contracts being the result of the meetings facilitated by this event.

- I am very satisfied with the fact that this year’s event attracted even bigger number of companies than last year because that confirms a growing interest of businessmen in cooperation with Constantza Port. As in previous years, we now expect some concrete deals to be concluded between our port operators and partners from Serbia and the region - said Vladan Misic, representative of Constantza Port in Serbia.