The southeastern National Company of Administration of the Navigable Channels of Constanta (CNACN) recorded the most important event this year in multi-modal transport field on the the river Danube with the arrival in Agigea Port of the pusher ship Krems, opening the first international line of container transport between Budapest and Constanta.

According to CNACN director general Valentin Zeicu, HELO 1 container line, inaugurated by Austrian company Helogistics Holding GMBH, is to operate weekly container barges offering a capacity of 144 TEU, going to depart from Belgrade distribution terminal in the direction of Constanta and Budapest.

"After a courageous attempt, of organizing an international container transport route on the river, sporadically run by Nord Marine operator for two years, between Belgrade and Constanta, Helogistics Co. is creating the first regular container distribution service on the Danube, between Budapest and Constanta, the new inter-modal transport line connecting Central Europe, via the Danube - Black Sea Canal, to Constanta Port, to the transport lines linking our continent to Asia, Africa and America", Zeicu said in a statement exclusively for AGERPRES.

Helogistics Co. announced it was going to financially support the transport line for at least one year, twice weekly in both directions, the voyage from Belgrade to Constanta taking just four days, whereas upstream the distance is covered in eight days.

HELO 1 container line was officially inaugurated on August 13, 2010 with the first transport from Budapest, Krems pusher transporting a 144 TEU barge, with three oversized parts and ten empty containers loaded in Belgrade with Constanta as destination.