Industry calls for strengthening of Danube navigation

danube.news, via donau, Donauschifffahrt

 

The Federation of Austrian Industries has issued an Action Paper, committing itself to the strengthening of Danube navigation. The central demands of Austrian enterprises were summarised in a catalogue of requirements. Now, the proposed measures are to be implemented. As road and rail have reached the limit of their capacities particularly in the Danube corridor, the Federation of Austrian Industries advocates a systematic strengthening of Danube navigation as an environmentally-friendly mode of transport. “The recently launched EU Strategy for the Danube Region offers an opportunity to modernise the Danube waterway and Danube navigation as a whole and to provide the industry in the riparian countries with a future-proof transport option,” states Peter Koren, Deputy Secretary-General of the Federation of Austrian Industries.

In a 12-page Action Paper, the Federation of Austrian Industries, in consultation with Austria’s industry and the manufacturing sector, calls for a strengthening of navigation on the Danube through the implementation of targeted measures by the EU, the national governments and ministries in the Danube region, and the private sector.

 

Outline of key measures

Waterway infrastructure

• Reliable fairway conditions through optimised maintenance and hydro-engineering projects
• Uniform infrastructure standards
• Efficient monitoring system along critical sections
• Revision work on locks during low-traffic times

 
Ports and terminals

• Efficient transhipment equipment and high-capacity infrastructure

• Development of benchmarks to increase the service level
• Minimum standards for fairway depth in the port area
  
  

Vessel fleet

• More efficient use of vessels’ loaded draught through RIS and improved water level forecasts
• Modernisation of the Danube fleet
• Promotion of practicable innovations
• Use of LNG propulsion (liquid natural gas)
  
  

Training and further training

• Specific recruiting measures and uniform training standards across the entire EU
• English as a lingua franca in addition to the prevalent languages of the Danube countries
• Inland waterway transport as part of logistics and freight fowarding training
  
  

River Information Services (RIS)

• Full coverage of the Danube by RIS

• Targeted training measures for the use of RIS

 

"via donau welcomes the initiative of the Federation of Austrian Industries as an essential contribution to the identification of priority issues within the EU Danube region strategy", says via donau Managing Director Hans-Peter Hasenbichler. Austria and Romania have taken over the role of co-ordinators for inland waterway transport and will take account of the unustry´s catalogue of requirements in the implementation of the Danube region strategy.

Editorial: via donau

Photo credits: via donau

Download: IV-Aktionspapier 2012: „Stärkung der Donauschifffahrt“

Links:
www.iv-net.atIV
EU Danube region strategy
www.ris.euRIS