The Minister of Transport, Sorin Grindeanu, announced today the preparation of the adoption of a new Emergency Ordinance of the Romanian Government, which is to regulate the administration of ports and inland waterways in Romania. The proposed amendments aim to harmonize the legislation with the existing practice in the field of naval transport infrastructures and to ensure a clear legal framework for the exploitation of ports and the conduct of naval transport activities.
Minister of Transport stresses that by GD no. 871/1999, real estate, public property of the state, located in the ports of Turnu Magurele and Zimnicea, were transferred from the administration of the National Company Administration of the Danube River Ports - SA Giurgiu, to the administration of the Local Councils of the municipality of Turnu Magurele and the town of Zimnicea.
This measure aims to manage and operate the port infrastructure in accordance with its initial destination, respecting the regulations in force regarding navigation on waterways and port operations. The legislative amendment provides that the administrative-territorial units that already own the port infrastructure will receive the status of port administration.
The Minister of Transport states that, in this context, the ports of Zimnicea and Turnu Magurele, included in Annex no. 5 to Law no. 363/2006 on the approval of the National Spatial Planning Plan, will benefit from direct administration, adapted to the current requirements in the field.
The normative act clarifies the provisions of Chapter IV of OG no. 22/1999, stipulating that the port administration may be held by public institutions, autonomous regencies, national companies or societies. In addition, the amendments impose a series of important obligations on the administrative-territorial units. Thus, they will have to make the port infrastructure available to all users, freely and non-discriminatory, to deal with the maintenance, repair, modernization and development of the minimum technical characteristics of the infrastructure, as well as the related utility networks.
They will be responsible for ensuring the resupply or distribution of utilities to economic operators, in accordance with the rules established by the competent authorities, for guaranteeing the minimum depths in port basins and access channels necessary for the entry and exit of ships, as well as for maintaining appropriate signage.
In addition, they will be responsible for identifying port workers, maintaining access roads in the port territory and participating in interventions in the event of disasters, including pollution situations, according to the legislation in force.
The Minister of Transport stressed the importance of these measures for improving navigation safety and increasing the efficiency of naval transport in the country. “Through these amendments, we aim to clarify the legal framework and improve port administration, thus facilitating the development of economic activities and consolidating control over port operations,” the Minister said.
The emergency ordinance comes at a time when efforts to reorganize the administration of naval transport infrastructures are intensifying, with the role of local authorities in the optimal management of activities in national ports being consolidated. The implementation of the legislative changes will be carried out in the coming period, and the competent authorities will monitor evolution the situation to ensure that safety and performance standards are met.
