GALATI, A NEW NODE ON THE INTERMODAL EUROPEAN MAP

The container terminal officially inaugurated in September has reinforced Galati in its position of important node on the European intermodal map, according to a press release by Via Donau, the Austrian institution that promotes the Romanian port on danubeports.info platform.

As a proof, in mid-October, the Romanian and Austrian officials signed a cooperation agreement between the ports of Galati and Enns. Gottfried Kneifel, chairman at Ennshafen GmbH, the Austrian port managing company, explained that the cooperation agreement signing aims at developing the harbor infrastructure in Galati and Enns, together with a road and ship transport route between the two harbors. The Austrian authorities and the European Commission might put in no less than 12 millions euros. ”For the moment, we have nothing clearly stated, but the funds will probably go to facilitating the goods exchange from the barges to the railway carriages“, said Christian Steidl, Enns port general manager. Although the Romanian-Austrian agreement has not explicitly endorsed the containers transit, the investors’ aims on a medium term are extremely ambitious: a 700% growth, from a 1.000 TEU capacity in 2009, to 7-8.000 TEU in 2010.