On March 12, 2025, a meeting of experts on the protection of inland waterway transport of the Danube Commission (DC) was held in Budapest (Hungary), at the headquarters of the DC. As part of the event, the Ukrainian delegation, led by the Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine Andrii Kashuba, proposed updated safety and security measures for navigation on the Danube.

The Deputy Minister thanked the Danube Commission, in particular the Director General of the DC Secretariat Manfred Seitz, the Member States, DG EC MOVE, representatives of the European Commission, as well as all partners and friends for their continuous support, assistance and efforts to strengthen the resilience of the Danube region, develop its efficiency and find new logistical routes in the conditions of the redistribution of cargo flows since the aggressive unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by russia.

The main issue was the update of the recommendations for ensuring the security of navigation on the Danube. The Ukrainian side proposed to amend the current document, making it mandatory for all member states of the Danube Commission.

“Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, russia has attacked Ukrainian ports more than 70 times, destroying hundreds of infrastructure facilities, and civilians have been injured. During this time, the aggressor has damaged and destroyed 382 port infrastructure facilities, attacked 31 civilian vessels, and more than 97 people have been injured or killed.
The other day, russia launched a missile strike on the seaport of Odesa, damaging the civilian vessel MJ PINAR under the flag of Barbados. At the time of the attack, it was loading wheat for export to Algeria. As a result of the strike, four Syrian citizens aged 18 to 24 died, two more crew members — citizens of Ukraine and Syria — were injured and are currently under medical supervision.
But despite this, Ukraine continues to ensure the stability of transportation and the operation of the Ukrainian Transport Corridor, including using the capacities of the Danube Cluster. In 2024, our Ukrainian ports processed more than 97 million tons of cargo, of which 60 million tons were grain products,” Andrii Kashuba noted.

The Ukrainian delegation drew the attention of the present experts on the security of inland waterway transport to the problems with the implementation of current safety and security standards on the Danube. A survey of shipowners showed that the vast majority of vessels do not have the necessary documents, including: Ship Security Plan, International Ship Security Certificate. Also, there are often no specially designated security officers on board, and crew training is not carried out properly.

To change the situation, Ukraine proposed adopting an updated version of the document — “Basic Provisions on Ensuring the Safety of Navigation on the Danube”. As a result, the document will contain clear requirements for ports and vessels, strengthen control over their compliance and take into account the experience of Ukrainian ports in wartime conditions. The Ukrainian side called on international partners to support this initiative and strengthen coordination of efforts for the safety and security of navigation in the Danube region.

The results and recommendations of the meeting of experts on the protection of inland waterway transport will be submitted to the next session of the Danube Commission.

As part of the visit, Andrii Kashuba also held a bilateral meeting with the Director General of the Secretariat of the Danube Commission, Manfred Seitz. The parties discussed key issues of cooperation, updating the Convention regarding the Regime of Navigation on the Danube, the functioning of the Danube Solidarity Lanes, reforming the Danube Commission and strengthening the role of Ukraine in its activities. In particular, the Ukrainian side welcomed the complete abandonment of the russian language in the work of the Commission and the transition to the use of English as the working language.

Ukraine continues to work hard to strengthen its role in the Danube region and, together with international partners, is developing measures for the safety and freedom of navigation on the Danube.

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