Improvement of navigability on the Danube in Hungary

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NEED AND ADDED VALUE FOR THE DANUBE REGION STRATEGY: This project was part of the Priority Project 18 (waterway axis Rhine/Meuse-Main-Danube) of the Trans-European Transport Network and aimed at improving navigation conditions along the Hungarian stretch of the Danube river between the town of Szob near the Slovak-Hungarian border and Hungary’s southern border with Croatia and Serbia. Currently, the fairway does not meet UNECE parameters for waterway classes VIb and VIc for approximately half of the year. The project aimed to contribute to meeting the requirements set for the Danube-Main-Rhine waterway according to international agreements (AGN – European Agreement on Main Inland Waterways of International Importance, Recommendations of the Danube Commission). OBJECTIVE(S) OF THE PROJECT: The final objective of this project was the elimination of fords and bottlenecks on the Hungarian stretch of the Danube (from river-km 1,708 to 1,433), so that a limitation of UNECE waterway classes VIb and VIc on this stretch would only be given on maximum 20 days a year. To this avail, the study – completed in November 2011 – was conducted on the elimination of fords (restricting fairway depth) and bottlenecks (restricting fairway width) hindering navigation. CONDUCTED PROJECT ACTIVITIES: Project activities featured in the study on the elimination of fords and bottlenecks: - Surveying of the riverbed (site measurements and data recording). - Drawing of technical designs (physical modelling and technical engineering). - Making the necessary environmental studies and impact assessments. - Getting the approval of the competent authorities for all interventions. TRANSBOUNDARY IMPACT: As the transport of goods on the Danube and its tributaries has an international and long-distance character, the entire Danube region would benefit from projects aiming at the removal of critical sectors. PROJECT BENEFICIARIES / TARGET GROUPS: shipping companies.

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