DP World, one of the largest port operators in the world, plans to build in Romania's Constanta port the first terminal dedicated to trucks and semitrailers (RORO), as well as the largest project cargo terminal – namely a terminal aimed at allowing the transfer of dimensionally challenging, heavy, complex pieces of equipment.

Both projects involve USD 75 mln investments altogether, partly financed from European grants, and are scheduled for completion in July-September 2023.

The Dubai-based company confirmed the two projects, previously envisaged in June, with the port management, according to Economica.net.

A RORO terminal is designed to transfer trucks and semitrailers between ships and land. The first terminal of this type in the Black Sea's largest port, Constanta, is meant to facilitate the development of road vehicle transport across the entire Black Sea - "the least developed of Europe's seas in terms of RORO transport", according to DP World.

"The development of this terminal opens the doors for Constanta port to emerge as a RORO transport hub in the Black Sea, by developing routes to Turkey, in the first phase, and to Georgia, in a second phase," representatives of DP World Constanta said.

The RORO terminal's capacity will be 400 truck parking slots, with annual transfer volumes of 45,000 units per year in the first phase and up to 80,000 units per year in the second phase. The memorandum of understanding on this RORO project was signed in June this year when more details were unveiled.

"The new terminal will handle one ship a day, and that will accommodate roughly one-third unaccompanied trailers and two-thirds driver-accompanied trucks. Trucks with a driver will head directly to the motorway network, but we expect the unaccompanied freight to be distributed by train," explained Cosmin Carstea, CEO of DP World Romania.

A project cargo terminal is designed for loading and unloading oversized cargo, which has a large volume and weight. This terminal handles non-homogeneous goods with varied shapes, volumes and weights.

The new project cargo terminal under construction in Constanta will allow pressures of up to 22 tonnes per square metre - twice the pressure supported by the strongest existing platform in Constanta Port. It is the first such terminal in Romania, allowing the handling of objects with volumes of up to 1,000 tonnes.

The RORO terminal will stretch over an area of 7 hectares, while the project cargo terminal will have 4.4 hectares. The investment also includes an office building with spaces dedicated to the control authorities.

DP World currently has approximately 600 employees in Romania and has invested USD 120 mln during the 18 years of activity in the country.

As of January 2023, Turkey plans to introduce, in the testing phase, a (RoRo) cargo ferry line to Romania, the president of the Romanian Customs Authority, Bogdan Mihei, announced this month (November 2022).

The Turkish authorities are interested in supporting the export of some goods, such as vegetables and fruits, to Romania and the EU, but also in moving other goods, such as cereals, in the opposite direction over the same route. Transporting loads, including containers, by ferry, would be cheaper and would avoid road traffic in Bulgaria, but also on the (Bosphorus) strait.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Sebastiangh/Dreamstime.com)