DP World, Dubai’s ports and logistics company, has halved shipping times between Romania and Turkey.
Speaking to Reuters, Kris Adams, Vice President of DP World Eastern Europe, said this was made possible as the company expands its Black Sea operations at the European Union’s eastern border.
DP World slashes Black Sea shipping times
Last year, DP World more than doubled its container shipping capacity at Romania’s largest Black Sea port of Constanta with the addition of a roll-on, roll-off (Ro-Ro) terminal and a logistics hub in western Romania. This year, it has added an integrated European logistics service out of Romania – offering road, sea, air and rail services – for clients in neighbouring Bulgaria, Moldova, Serbia and Turkey.
A new scanner at the Constanta Ro-Ro terminal has reduced truck inspection times from 5-7 hours to 2 minutes.
Adams told Reuters: “We have made huge strides in optimising maritime trade between Turkey and Constanta, improving the transit time by sea by 50 per cent.
“Istanbul-to-Bucharest shipments have been cut to under 30 hours, creating a viable alternative to road transport.”
Adams said the Constanta upgrades cost a total of 130 million euros (US$151 million) so far, but more would follow as there is growth potential in automotive, e-commerce and renewable energy cargo.
“We’re looking at ultimately investing over 200 million euros (US$232.5 million). There will be more in staff, in a digital platform and we have an ambition to operate contract logistics, so that means that we will, at some stage, be operating warehouses but it is too early to comment,” Adams added.
Constanta is a gateway to Central Asia and provides access to the Danube river and Western Europe. Its importance has also grown as companies relocate operations to Eastern Europe’s low-cost manufacturing hubs to shorten supply chains.
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