DP World has announced plans to open an inland terminal and logistics hub in Decea near the city of Aiud in the north-east of Romania, aiming to facilitate rail connections between Europe and Asia.
The 82,000 sq m facility, which is located in Alba county close to industrial areas in Cluj, Sibiu, Mures and Hunedoara, will offer a static storage capacity of 3,000 teu.
According to the operator, the region has had an historic issue with a lack of robust infrastructure linking the mountainous regions in the northeast with the rest of the country.
Businesses in this area will now have a direct connection within Europe to the Black Sea, North and Adriatic seas, while also having rail links to major hubs in Central Asia and China.
Through an on-site connection to the electrified rail infrastructure, there is potential to reduce transportation costs and CO2 emissions through the shift from road to rail as well as through the reduced transit time for cargoes from factories at the industrial park to their final destination.
Cosmin Carstea, CEO of DP World Romania, said: “The benefits offered to the import and export supply chains will have a significant and positive impact across the country with the terminal offering efficient, robust and reliable trade routes across borders.
“The vast number of businesses in the area will now have a logistics hub within easy reach that will then enable the flow of trade across the globe.”
The terminal, being developed by Belgian firm ILD, will take up approximately a third of a new logistics park, which offers 180,000 sqm for industrial and logistics development.
Sitting within Romania’s industrial heartland, where 50% of the country’s industrial GDP is sourced, it is hoped that the facility will provide exporters and importers in the wider area with direct access to major transport hubs.
These routes will be via the A10 motorway and its own rail infrastructure on Romania’s electrified rail network, which directly connects to major hubs across Europe.
Carstea added: “This new terminal is a big step in helping DP World become an end-to-end logistics provider in Romania by merging intermodal terminal operations with marine terminal operations, while also providing: warehouse logistics, rail and truck /unloading, /stuffing, ambient & temperature-controlled warehouses, office spaces and truck yard parking.”
DP World has owned and operated its Constanta terminal in the southeast of Romania for 18 years and recently renewed its concession agreement with the Maritime Port Authority of Constanta for a further 30 years, running until 2049.
It is located on the edge of the Black Sea and offers barge connections to the River Danube.
Rashid Abdulla, CEO of DP World Europe said: “We are very proud of our sustained achievements in Constanta since we started operating there in 2004, and I am confident that we will have a similar impact in Decea and the surrounding area. Romania has huge potential to become a major player in the trade and logistics sector in Europe and today is a major milestone on that journey.”
