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Porthos has officially greenlit the implementation of the Netherlands’ inaugural large-scale CO2 transport and storage system, marking a critical step in combating climate change. The €1.3 billion Porthos infrastructure project is set to commence construction in Rotterdam in 2024, with operations expected to begin by 2026. A joint venture involving EBN, Gasunie, and the Port of Rotterdam Authority, Porthos aims to reduce CO2 emissions in the Rotterdam port industry by approximately 10%, making a substantial contribution to the Dutch government’s climate policy.

Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Szijjártó, announced the anticipated completion of the Budapest-Belgrade (BuBe) railway line by 2025. Seen as a crucial component of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the BuBe line is strategically positioned to provide robust connections to central and northern Europe, along with facilitating access to southern European ports.

The introduction of the Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC) is becoming a revolution for freight transport in Europe, providing a long-term competitive advantage. However, beyond increasing efficiency and safety, this innovation also brings new benefits for those working in this field, easing their daily routines. The profession of a shunter is a challenging task that demands significant physical effort and is performed under extreme weather conditions at all times of day and night. In the future, this profession will become more diverse in its tasks and, in terms of physical exertion, safer and simpler. Currently, trains are manually coupled, involving lifting and transferring the heavy 20-kilogram coupling hook between the wagons. DAC automates this process, making it significantly more efficient and safer.

German port consultancy HPC Hamburg Port Consulting, in collaboration with Romanian IT firm Critical Technologies SRL and Estonian maritime partners E.N. Shipping Services OÜ and Saaresalu OÜ, has secured an international tender to develop specifications for the design and implementation of a Port Community System (PCS) for the Port of Constanta in Romania. A PCS is a digital platform that enhances information exchange and data optimization among stakeholders in a seaport or logistics ecosystem, aiming to boost efficiency, transparency, and coordination in the movement of goods through the port. The project’s successful implementation is expected to modernize port and logistics processes, enhance inter-agency coordination in Romania, and significantly reduce administrative burdens and bureaucracy.

This week marked a significant milestone for “Rīgas Universālais Termināls” (Riga Universal Terminal – RUT) as they successfully received and unloaded the inaugural test train carrying Ukrainian cereal products at the Freeport of Riga. The delivery, consisting of 1423 tons of rapeseed in 54 containers, was facilitated by SIA LDZ CARGO, a subsidiary of SJSC “Latvijas dzelzceļš”. The containers traveled from Ukraine to the port of Riga through the Kaunas intermodal railway terminal, where they were loaded onto SIA LDZ CARGO platforms for the final leg of their journey to Riga. The RUT warehouses now house the unloaded Ukrainian rapeseed.

On October 12, 2023, Adria Tow d.o.o. celebrated the official christening of its latest addition, the tugboat Ares, at Berth I of the Port of Koper.

A substantial advancement has taken place in Poland’s major infrastructure endeavor, Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK), with the establishment of a high-speed railway connecting Warsaw and Łódź, pivotal rail freight hubs in the country. The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is set to finance this crucial railway, with CPK and the Polish Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy signing a 64 million euros agreement with the Centre for EU Transport Projects. This funding, covering approximately 85 percent of the total project costs amounting to 75 million euros, will support comprehensive project documentation, including construction plans, and facilitate the necessary permits and location decisions.