* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence

Danube RiverSince the opening of the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal, the Rhine and the Danube now form a major trans-European shipping artery, approx. 3500 kilometres in length, which links the North Sea with the Black Sea and which connects the inland navigation networks of 13 Central and Western European countries. Danube River enters Serbia from Hungary close to Bezdan and flows until the Romanian – Bulgarian border.

About

South East Europe Transport Observatory (SEETO) is a regional

transport organization established by the Memorandum of

Understanding for the development of the Core Regional

Transport Network (MoU) signed on June 11th, 2004.

SEETO Regional Participants: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,

the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia

and Kosovo*

The aim of the SEETO is to promote cooperation on the

development of the main and ancillary infrastructure on the

multimodal SEETO Comprehensive Network, to improve and

harmonise regional transport policies and technical standards for

the SEETO Comprehensive Network development and to enhance

local capacity for the implementation of investment programmes.

Tel: +381 11 3131799

+381 11 3131805

Fax: +381 11 3131800

Address: Omladinskih brigada 1

P.O. Box 14

11198 Belgrade

Serbia

Website: www.seetoint.org

Summary of infrastructure limitations

Danube River

An important amount of funds from the EU and national budgets has been

channelled towards reinforcing river banks; widening fairways; cleaning sunken

vessels, objects or even unexploded ordnances; improving river signalling; and

possibly the most urgent requirement of all, deepening river routes.

Despite the progress made, the river infrastructure still needs enhancement.

More investments need to be made for infrastructure upgrades. While severe

weather conditions during winter months lead to the disruption of navigation due

to river surface icing or thick fog, targeted large-scale investments in technology-

intensive, innovative solutions and collaboration between the neighbouring

countries could help overcome these obstacles. In addition, capital investments

are needed in order to cover expenditures for modernisation of the river ports,

aiming at enhancing trade.

Port of Novi Sad

In the next midterm period, expansion of the river side capacity for the general

cargo and bulk terminal would potentially increase the current port capacities,

since the current capacities have been exceeded for several years. Expansion of

the yard side of the container terminal should be considered as well .

As for the long-term plans and establishing the port as a multimodal centre, the

transportation systems and equipment needed for further development are listed

below:

• Container terminal and Ro-Ro terminal for mobile machines

• System for grain storage and handling, capacity of 20 000 tons

• Modernisation and construction of storage systems

• Subsystem of logistic support and additional logistics services

• Transport infrastructure 1

1) Regional Transport Study (REBIS update), Maritime and inland port capacity estimation for the countries of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Albania, 2014

InlandWaterway

Infographic

Infrastructure Constraints

Length

588 km

Max Rating Class

Class VII

Max Transit

9 pushed barges

Medium

Constraints

52 Km

9 %

Low

Constraints

356 Km

61 %

Significant

Constraints

180 Km

30 %

≈ 40,000 M. tons/km/year Freight traffic in inland waterway

Inland Port: Novi Sad

Handling devices

Intermodality

Road-rail

Total Area

240,00 m2

Total Quay Length

800 m

Number of Berths

4

Freight barge capacity

Lenght: 588 Km

Terminal Storage Features

Covered Storage 400,000 m2

Hungary Bulgaria

9,600 t

263 Km

14,500 t

307 Km

9,600 t

18 Km

Luffing-slewing cranes 3 x 27t Open Storage 100,000 m2

Customs Storage 4,800 m2

Inland Port: Belgrade

Handling devices

Intermodality

Road-rail

Total Area

800,000 m2

Total Quay Length

940 m

Number of Berths

8

Terminal Storage FeaturesCovered Storage 200,000 m2

Luffing-slewing cranes 10 x 6t Open Storage 650,000 m2

Customs 5,000 m2

Movile cranes 4 x 40t

Gantry cranes 2 x 50t

Dangerous goods 900 m2

Racks 4,000 m2

Free 5,000 m2

Danube RiverWithin Serbia the following sections on River Danube are distinguished1:

• from the Hungarian border (km 1433) to Belgrade km (km 1170), which is classed as VIc, the river permits the transit of six pushed barges up to 9,600 tons. In practice, due to water depth restrictions in the upper and lower reaches of the Danube, barges and vessels do not load to their maximum draught and sail at a reduced draught, usually less than between 2.0–2.2 m to allow a safety margin;

• from Belgrade (km 1170) downstream towards the Djerdap II dam (km 863), the river attains the maximum class rating of Class VII, allowing the transit of nine pushed barges up to 14,500 tons dead weight.

• from Djerdap II (km 863) to the Bulgarian border (km 845), the river is classed as VIc. Barges and vessels travelling the Serbian section of the Danube may have a reduced draught where low water levels occur downstream of Djerdap II and in Romania.

Better navigability conditions and certain recovery from the economic crisis in the past year have resulted in an increase in passenger and freight traffic on the SEETO Comprehensive river ports. However, the River Danube (as well as other navigable rivers in the region) is clearly not used to its full potential. Cargo volumes transported on the River Danube, including on the River Sava, are only between 10% and 20% of those carried on the Rhine2.

BottlenecksThe water level on the Danube is influenced by the backwater of the HEPP Djerdap I and HEPP Djerdap II. Within the backwater zone, sufficient navigation depth is available. Outside the backwater zone, the water level and consequently the available width and depth for navigation depend on the discharge of the river. During low flow conditions, certain river stretches may not be of sufficient navigation depth or width.

The majority of the bottlenecks occur on the stretch between km 1430 and 1250 (free flow). Most of them are due to sharp bends or narrow cross-sectional profiles. In addition to these bottlenecks, the railway bridge in Novi Sad is also a severe bottleneck due to the limited navigable width combined with the limited clearance. Downstream of km 1250 fewer problems are encountered, and after km 1198 until the beginning of the Djerdap Gorges no bottlenecks have been identified. Downstream of the Djerdap II dam there are no bottlenecks with regard to available width and depth of the fairway, except during extreme low water levels. When this happens a large number of sunken German WWII warships at Prahovo create hazardous situations for navigation as they narrow the fairway width substantially.

In conclusion, apart from the stretch at Prahovo which has nothing to do with geomorphologic conditions, the most critical sectors are bottlenecks located on the part of the Danube which forms the border between Serbia and Croatia. At certain points, such as at Apatin, navigation is carried out under difficult conditions and significant

regulation works are necessary to provide safe navigation.

1) WATERMODE, Report on Danube, Serbia, 2011 2) European Union Strategy for the Danube Region, Action Plan, European Commission 2010