Constanta Port Day comes back to Belgrade

(The Constanta Port)

On September 25, 2014, at Holday Inn Hotel in Belgrade will take place the eighth edition of "Constanta Port Day", an event that has become traditional in the region, organized by Compania Nationala“ Administratia Porturilor Maritime” SA Constanta (CN “APM” SA).

If the latest editions took place in Novi Sad, the port of Constanta comes back to Belgrade, in order to focus business partners, businessmen interested in the opportunities offered by the Romanian maritime ports.

The number of those who have confirmed their participation at the event in Belgrade has exceeded 200 people at the moment, delegates from Serbia, but also from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary and Austria.

The interest for this event has increased from one year to another, CompaniaNationala “Administratia Porturilor Maritime” SA Constanta having intensified its efforts in the region since 2007, when the representative office was opened, in order to promote and attract proper and beneficial partnerships with Serbian companies.

The meeting in Belgrade is organized after the visit of many Serbian companies in the port of Constanta, over the last year: MK Commerce, DTL, Inetertek, JRB, CFND,Almos, Mikros Union, Transagent, JRB, etc.

“By organizing the event Constanta Port Day in Belgrade, Compania Nationala “Administratia PorturilorMaritime” SA Constanta aims to facilitate the direct meetings between existing and potential Romanian and Serbian business partners, thus supporting those interested in expanding their business through the port of Constanta. Therefore, there is a real chance for the development of long-term economic relations”, stated Valeriu Nicolae Ionescu, CEO of CompaniaNationala “Administratia Porturilor Maritime” SA Constanta.

Cereals dominate the traffic of goods with Serbia

The statistics indicate that the traffic of goods between Romania and Serbia, through the port of Constanta, registered significant increases from 2007 to present, as well as the number of Serbian companies locatedin the port of Constanta.

Since the beginning of the year up to August 15, the traffic of goods between the port of Constanta and Serbia was of 2.5 million tonnes, of which 1.5 million tonnes the river traffic.

In the total traffic, the cereals are the most important ones, with more than 1.1 million tonnes, followed by the iron ores and scrap, with 725,000 tonnes.

Both the representatives of CN “APM” SA and the Serbian partners believe that in the economic relations with Serbia, one of the biggest advantages of the port of Constanta is the fact that it is both maritime and river port. Every day about 200 river vessels are in the port forloading/unloading goods or waiting to be operated. The facilities offered bythe port of Constanta allow the accommodation of any type of river vessel.

(Valeriu Nicolae Ionescu)

Valeriu Nicolae Ionescu, CEO of Compania Nationala“Administratia Porturilor Maritime” SA Constanta, assesses that “Due to the Danube, the port of Constanta can be considered the exit to the sea for the Serbian economy. We do have important competitors for this status, but the strategic position, the infrastructure and facilities offered by the port of Constanta are undeniable advantages for our Serbian partners and not only”.

The port of Constanta has shown its competitive advantages resulting from its connection with the Danube, providing a shorter, environmental friendly, cheaper transport alternative, as well as significant time savings for the transit of goods coming from the Far East and heading for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

In the current economic context, CN APM SAConstanta appreciates the Serbian economic potential and in this regard considers the Serbian economic agents as important partners for the future development of the port of Constanta.

Duringthe event „Constanta Port Day in Belgrade”,organized by CN APM SA Constanta, the port development projects will be presented as well, which will turn it into the most important hub for the Central and Eastern Europe region.

The strategy of CN “APM” SA is based on the continuous development of the investments in the port of Constanta,for the enhancement of the port’s performance, so that it meets the needs of its partners: transporters, agents, shipping lines, port operators, that it permanently collaborates with in order to achieve a mutually beneficial partnership.

The port of Constanta aims at providing quality and competitive services to the port clients, a complete and modern transport infrastructure, as well as environmental, security and safety conditions in the port. This is the only way to encourage and attract the traffic of goods, so that, year by year, the port of Constanta to be able to reconfirm its role of important transit centre – providing the shortest transport alternative from and to Asia, as well as to the Central Europe– and regional distribution centre for the area that it serves.

„I am confident that this event is a very important support so that our Serbian partners increase their turnover, using the advantages of the port of Constanta and can be a positive message for the development potential of Romanian-Serbian bilateral relations in the field of shipping and intermodal transport”, stated Valeriu Nicolae Ionescu, CEOof Constanta Port.

The event Constanta Port Day in Belgrade is organized with the contribution of the following port operators: Comvex, North Star Shipping, UMEX, United Shipping Agency, SOCEP and TTS.

Comvex is a traditional partner for the Serbian companies, last year performing a contract for 3 million tonnes of piryte for the transport to China. Comvex is the biggest terminal for handling dry bulk cargo in the Black Sea region, with an area of 700,386 square meters in the Southern area of the port of Constanta.

North Star Shipping is a Romanian company specialized in related services for the maritime and river transport, being the major shareholder of Minmetal SA Constanta. Together they operate more than 5,000,000 tonnes/year, cargo such as: cereals, ironores, coal, coke or liquid products.

UMEX terminal has a total area of 140,000 sqm, of which 20,000 sqm covered storage area.

The main activity of United Shipping Agency is handling of cereals. Owners of a modern and efficient grain terminal in the port of Constanta, they handle about 3 million tonnes per year.

The activity of SOCEP is organized in two different operating terminals – the container terminal (300,000 TEU – yearly handling capacity) and the general cargo terminal (3 million tonnes containerized and break bulk general cargo - yearly handling capacity).

TTS has recently inaugurated the extension of the capacity of Canopus grain terminal, from 50,000 tonnes to110,000 tonnes, an investment of 15 million euro.

The representative of Constanta Port, Mr. Vladan Misic said that "ConstantaPort Day" became the most important event in the transport field not only in Serbia, but also in all countries of former Yugoslavia.The growing interest for the offer of Constanta Port, the traffic evolution with Serbia, growing constantly, show the real effect of the permanent relation with the Serbian partners of port, as well as the business meetings organized every year by the Port of Constanta.