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Port of Constantza
Located at the cross-roads of the trade routes linking the developed countries of Western Europe and the emerging markets of Central Europe with the suppliers of raw materials from the CIS, Central Asia and Transcaucasus, the Port of Constantza is the main Romanian port and the largest port in the Black Sea.
It has a geostrategical position being located on the route of two Pan-European Transport Corridors: river Corridor VII (Danube) and rail-road Corridor IV.
In the southern part of Constantza Port there is a river-maritime sector, which allows
the accommodation of maritime vessels and river vessels as well.
The two satellite ports Midia and Mangalia are located close to the port of Constantza and perform a vital function in the overall port framework.
The Port of Constantza offers a lot of advantages, among which, the most important are:
- multi-purpose port with modern facilities and sufficient depth to accommodate the largest vessels passing through the Suez Canal;
- direct access to the Pan-European Corridor VII, through the Danube Black Sea Canal, providing a shorter and cheaper waterway transport towards Central Europe than the routes using the Northern Europe ports;
- good connections with all modes of transport: railway, road, river, airway and pipelines;
- the New Container Terminal on Pier II South, increasing the container operating capacity;
- future expansion planned;
- Ro-Ro and Ferry-boat terminals suitable for the development of short sea shipping serving the Black Sea and the Danube riparian countries;
- New status of Port of Constantza, "port with customs facilities";
- Future expansion planned.
Millions of tons of cargo moving annually through Constantza are carried from or to hinterland markets and end-consumers.
Fast, reliable and efficient transportation of goods is rendered at European standards on the eastward-westward commercial axis. Port infrastructure is connected to the Pan-European Transport Corridors defined at the Pan-European Transport Conference in Helsinki in 1997 and supported by the EU: river Corridor no. VII and railroad Corridor no. IV as well as the "TRACECA" Corridor.
Terminals
Liquid Bulk
There is a specialised terminal for the import of crude oil, gas oil and benzene and for the export of refined oil products, oil derivatives and other liquid chemical products.
Liquid bulk is either transshipped into river vessels to various European destinations or carried through pipelines within the domestic hinterland. Pipelines network connects the port with the main refineries in the country thus securing fast transportation. The oil terminal is equipped with the most modern and efficient fire and pollution fighting facilities.
Dry Bulk
The Port of Constantza enjoys a top position as one of the major European bulk centres.
High operational rates, large storage capacities as well as quays infrastructure featuring water depths up to 17,6 m and also the biggest handling facilities in the South-Eastern Europe for iron ore, bauxite, coke and coal sustain the Port of Constantza as the core transit point of Central and Eastern Europe for dry bulk cargo.
The principal commodities are: ore, coal, coke, fertilisers, urea, phosphate, apatite, bulk cement and grain that can be also directly transshiped on barges.
Containers
Four container terminals operate in the Port of Constantza with a throughput that has registered an ascendant trend over the last 10 years.
A marked tendency of containerisation and the steady growth of the container traffic in the Port of Constantza has required the development of new container handling facilities. A New Container Terminal in the south part of the port-Pier II S is operational starting octomber 2003, being designed to allow the accommodation of Post-Panamax container ships and undertake an annual capacity of 325,000 TEU's in the first stage and up to 1,000,000 TEU's in the final stage.
General Cargo
All range of services for general cargo are efficiently provided by stevedoring companies. There can be handled food, beverages and tobacco, paper and cardboard, cellulose, rolled metals, machine parts, bagged cement and other break bulk cargo in the Port of Constantza.
Ro-Ro/Ferry
The Port of Constantza has two Ro - Ro terminals equipped to handle any type of vehicle and Ro-Ro cargo. Exports of Romanian vehicles to Brazil, Columbia, China and Turkey are operated at two specialised link-span berths
The port of Constantza and its satellite ports-Midia and Mangalia are public-private maritime ports, with regulatory and landowner function in the responsibility of the state, through duties discharged to National Company "Maritime Ports Administration" S.A. Constantza (MPA) and Romanian Naval Authority (through its division - Harbour Master), both of them being coordinated by the Ministry of Transports, Constructions and Tourism.
The day-to-day running of the ports is looked after by the Commission of coordination for the movement of maritime and river vessels in Constantza, Midia and Mangalia maritime ports. The presidency and secretariat of the Commission is carried out by MPA. The Commission is assigned to coordinate the traffic of maritime and river vessels, to establish the order of arrival/departure and transit for the maritime and river vessels in Constantza, Mangalia and Midia ports and to allocate the berths.
Maritime and cargo related services in the Port of Constantza are mainly carried out by private companies. Services are provided in a competitive environment, applying the free market principles, with no monopoly in the area.
