Cruise ships bringing profit – Serbia to get new passenger terminals in Smederevo and Veliko Gradiste in 2017

There are increasingly more tourists coming from European countries to Serbia by the Danube, and the Port Governance Agency has recorded 394 moorings of passenger ships this year. Compared to the first six months of 2016, this is an increase of 13%. Whereas 958 moorings of passenger ships, i.e. 119,125 passengers, were recorded last year in the only three international terminals in Serbia, Belgrade, Novi Sad and Donji Milanovac, the agency projects that the thousandth mooring can be expected by the end of this season.

In order for these numbers to keep growing and for the tourists to stay longer in the country, it is necessary to enhance the port infrastructure along the Serbian rivers.

The Government of Serbia adopted the Strategy of Development of Water Transport from 2015-2025 in 2014. The strategy envisages the construction of new passenger terminals meeting international standards. The realization of the project began with the construction of the first seven terminals on the Danube.

Seven ports on the Danube

As the Port Governance Agency reminds for eKapija, the Government, through the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, initiated the projects of construction of seven passenger terminals open for international traffic in 2015 and 2016 – in Sremski Karlovci, Smederevo, Kostolac, Veliko Gradiste, Golubac, Kladovo and Beocin.

So far, according to the information we've received from the ministry, five ports have been built – those in Kostolac, Veliko Gradiste, Smederevo, Kladovo and Golubac, and the issuing of operating permits is in progress. After they obtain the permits, the terminals in Veliko Gradiste and Smederevo are expected to become operational by the end of the current year, whereas the remaining three should welcome their first passengers in 2018, the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications says for eKapija.

Furthermore, the plan is to build terminals in Beocin and Sremski Karlovci in 2018, and the technical documentation for those two terminals is currently being prepared, the ministry explains.

As the Port Governance Agency told us, funds from the state budget have been set aside for these seven terminals. Of the five built terminals, RSD 23 million was invested in Kostolac (with Jugoslovensko Recno Brodarstvo as the contractor), 21 million was invested in Veliko Gradiste (Brodomarket Pancevo), 20 million in Smederevo (JRB), 23 million in Kladovo (JRB) and 23 million in Golubac (Brodoprojekt Beograd).

The construction of these terminals is a part of the strategic orientation of the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications for reviving the Danube area and achieving better utilization of tourism and economic potentials of the Danube in Serbia, our interviewees add.

At the same time, in 2017, the Port Governance Agency and the UNDP are carrying out the program of Local Development of Eastern Serbia through an increase in tourism revenues. The project aims to primarily promote Eastern Serbian tourism, but also to develop water transport on inland waterways through the development of cruise ship transport. The Danube is supposed to connect Belgrade to six towns and municipalities in eastern Serbia – Smederevo, Kostolac, Veliko Gradiste, Golubac, Donji Milanovac and Kladovo.

More construction sites by 2025

Through the said strategy, in addition to the existing terminals and projects currently being carried out, a potential was seen for the development of passenger terminals in several other locations, the agency explains for eKapija. The locations in question are Apatin, Backa Palanka, Lepenski Vir, Negotin, Sabac, Sremska Mitrovica, Titel, Becej, Senta and Kanjiza.

As the agency explains for our portal, the future construction might be financed using various models, and the law envisages the options of public-private partnerships, concessions and the EU projects, i.e. the usage of special-purpose support funds.

Katarina Stevanovic

Agencija za upravljanje lukama Beograd

Ministarstvo turizma i omladine Republike Srbije

Vlada Republike Srbije

UNDP Beograd

Turistička organizacija Beograda

JRB AD Beograd

Brodomarket doo Pančevo

Brodoprojekt doo Beograd