We would like to update you on the activities carried out by our association since our last mailing in October 2020. Interested persons are invited to subscribe to our newsletter via the website of Pro Danube International.
In order to interact more efficiently with the industry and to provide information in real time, Pro Danube International has recently launched new interactive communication channels via social media. We cordially invite you to like and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin by clicking on the icons below.
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Chemical, petrochemical and mineral oil products or biodiesel – for all these goods, the Danube waterway can offer a cost-effective, reliable and environmental-friendly transport solution. For this reason, the core objective of the expert workshop organised by viadonau was to inform about the prospects offered by IWT to the businesses operating in the chemical and petrochemical industry. The event brought together business representatives and experts from both sectors to discuss, exchange views and information as well as to provide examples of good practices.
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Pro Danube International´s Chairman, Mr. Herfried Leitner, gave a comprehensive presentation on the current market situation of chemical products and fertilizers in the Danube Region, highlighting that IWT is - due to its high level of safety, efficiency, and transport capacity - suitable for the transportation of dangerous goods. Moreover, the establishment of new production sites along the Danube has the potential to secure higher transport volumes for the IWT sector, provided that adequate infrastructure in terms of multimodality is made available.
The conclusion of the event was that strengthening the ties among the chemical industry and the businesses operating on the Danube as well as the proper integration of IWT in the transnational transport and logistics chains would undoubtedly lead to a win-win situation on both sides.
Mr. Leitner's presentation is available for download here.
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Pro Danube International was represented at the online Digital Transport Days organised on 18 November. Of particular interest for the IWT sector was the recently adopted Regulation on electronic freight transport information. The aim of the Regu-lation is to encourage the digitalisation of freight transport and logistics in order to reduce administrative costs, improve en-forcement capabilities of competent authorities and to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of transport.
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Equally important for the IWT sector was the 12th Working Gr-oup Meeting of the Rhine-Danube Corridor on Ports and Inland Waterways, with the participation of key representatives of the European Commission, relevant national public authorities and representatives of the sector. The discussions proved ex-tremely fruitful, highlighting the need for further major projects in the upcoming MFF to adequately finance the development of IWT related infrastructure.
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1. DIONYSUS: first edition of the Danube Ports Days successfully organised
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The Danube Ports Day 2020 edition was successfully organised in the framework of the DIONYSUS project by Pro Danube and the Port of Ennshafen, with the support of the Danube Ports Network.
The 2020 event brought together over 60 experts from the Danube Region and beyond. It facilitated a structured discussion on port development opportunities touching on topics such as (a) shore side electricity and (b) integrated logistics. Shore-side electricity, which allows ships to turn off their engines and plug into an electrical grid while at berth, has been steadily growing in popularity as a reliable solution to cutting emissions as well as reducing noise and vibration. First-hand information was provided based on the results of several EU & national funded projects, whereas, at the same time, two fleet operators presented from a user’s perspective related prerequisites. In relation to the second topic, two port operators from Romania and Moldova introduced their logistics solutions to efficiently accommodate intermodal transport to and from their ports, whereas one logistics service provider from Hungary offered examples of fully integrated logistics solutions making use of the waterways.
The presentations are available on the website of Pro Danube.
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2. W2GAS: Know-how transfer event for green energy and fuelling solutions
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Pro Danube successfully organised the second edition of the W2GAS - Waste to Compost and Green Energy - Know-how Event on 26 November 2020.
After an informative first event in September, with insights into sustainable developments in the fuel sector as well as into Austrian biogas technology solutions, the second event focused on general findings and results of the project. First-hand information was provided by the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKO) representative in Romania, Mr. Gerd Bommer, and by several other Austrian Stakeholders present in the Romanian business environment. Experts and sector representatives discussed topics such as available implementation options to use gas as fuel in the transport sector and available funding opportunities. Key elements of the permit procedures were also high on the agenda.
The manager of the kit4market funding programme highlighted the vital role of W2GAS to facilitate know-how transfer by clustering the knowledge of experts, technology providers and consultants.
The project is co-funded by the kit4market Programme of aws - Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH.
The presentations are available on the website of Pro Danube.
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3. GRENDEL: publication of the final version of the IWT Model State Aid Scheme
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Improving the environmental and economic performance of the Danube inland vessels is the overall goal of the GRENDEL project. It aims to achieve a higher acceptance and use of inland waterway transport as an environmentally friendly transport mode contributing to economic growth and a more sustainable transport system in the Danube region. One of the core objectives of the project is to provide a fruitful ground for the establishment of dedicated instruments that trigger investments in the fleet. In this sense, the model state aid scheme is a key result of the project.
The model state aid scheme was developed to serve as a guideline for Danube riparian countries to develop national state aid schemes for fleet modernisation according to their individual needs. In this sense, a number of Danube riparian countries already started to have discussions with regard to the implementation of a state aid scheme that would provide adequate financial incentives for the modernisation of their fleet.
Particularly important in this regard is the constant support provided by the European Commission, strongly encouraging the approach of GRENDEL and Member States to implement state aid scheme measures. This should be viewed as an encouragement for the Danube riparian countries to use the GRENDEL Model State Aid Scheme for the financing period 2021-2027 as a basis to develop investment incentives that could be financed via various types of financial resources - both national and European. |
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4. GRENDEL: publication of the final version of the Danube IWT Fleet Modernisation Strategy & Recommendations
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GRENDEL represents a vital step forward in the more than challenging modernisation process of the Danube fleet. The achievements of the project went far beyond identifying the most challenges IWT is facing in terms of low technological intake, new legislative developments or reduced investment capacities of vessel operators. GRENDEL, as comprehensively described in the recently published Danube IWT Fleet Modernisation Strategy & Recommendations, propos-es concrete actions, measures and recommendations to overcome the most problematic issues faced by IWT in the Danube Region and well beyond: (1) environmental quality through low emissions and (2) efficient integration of IWT into multimodal logistics chains.
Based on the results of the GRENDEL project, the strategy reflects the need for standardisa-tion and harmonisation on corridor level to overcome the most urgent challenges IWT is currently facing from a twofold perspective: the existing legislation having a direct impact on IWT as well as its efficient and enduring integration into multimodal transport and logistics chains. Another important topic discussed in the framework of the strategy refers to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on IWT. In order to reduce uncertainty and secure a smooth transport flow, the strategy proposes concrete actions and measures to reduce the harmful impact of the crisis on businesses operating on the Danube.
With the Danube being regarded as the economic backbone of a transnational region par excellence characterised by different levels of socioeconomic development, the recommendations proposed aim at the overall improvement of regional development facilitating the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR). EUSDR PA1 a will take up the results of the strategy in the framework of the EUSDR working group activities.
The uptake of the GRENDEL results has already started in several countries by means of preparatory discussions on potential state aids based on the GRENDEL model.
A brochure highlighting the main achievements and results of the GRENDEL project was recently released and is available for download here.
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5. Updates on the PhysICAL project which creates the necessary basis for the implementation of the physical internet in Austria - to foster sustainability and to promote more efficiency in the transport & logistics sector.
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Acknowledging the challenges arising from the current digital transformation processes and also being an active partner in the Danube Region when it comes to the digitalisation of the IWT sector, Pro Danube is proud to be part and report on the progress of a very ambitious project:
The September edition of the report entitled “Mobility of the future - Interim balance of goods mobility” published by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology dedicates one chapter to the topic of “Building lighthouses in Austria”, making reference to trend-setting projects of future mobility. Among other projects, strong attention is given to the PhysICAL project led by Fraunhofer Austria, a cornerstone for the realization of the physical internet (PI) and logistics as a service (LaaS) concepts.
Overall, work in the framework of PhysICAL has continued to progress significantly during the last months in all activities dealing with pilot deployment, such as i) development of a transport unit prototype for the transport of forestry products, ii) open transport management platform, iii) the first real trading company in the virtual world in e Commerce 3.0 and iv) cooperative CEP delivery with PI boxes. The needs and expectations of the industry are being reflected in all these activities by means of the interviews and consultations conducted with industry experts. Resources are also invested into the activity dealing with the creation of a Digital Twin of the transport network. Currently, dedicated workshops are being organised in order to define the exact framework conditions in line with the specifics of each pilot activity.
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