Romania hopes Constanta port to become important hub on Belt and Road

Romania hopes Constanta port to become an important hub on the Belt and Road, a Romanian official said on Monday.

The Port of Constanta on the west coast of the Black Sea is the largest seaport in the eastern part of the European Union. [Photo/VCG]

Romania welcomed the countries along the Belt and Road to build the Asia-Europe rail and maritime transport route, making the port of Constanta an important hub on the new Silk Road, Ionel Minea, secretary of state for the Ministry of Transport said.

In a speech at the seminar on Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, Minea stressed that the port of Constanta is the east gate of the European Union, and goods arriving here from China and countries along the Belt and Road will be quickly transported by road or Danube to other countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

The seminar was jointly held by the International Association of Trans-Caspian International Transport Route and Romania's Maritime Ports Administration National Company which is in charge of the management of Constanta port.

Dan Nicolae Tivilichi, general manager of the national company, told the seminar that Constanta will speed up the port's infrastructure construction to meet the business needs of the Asia-Europe international transport route.

Wu Jingyu, an official of China Communications and Transport Association, introduced the development and prospects of the China Railway Express, pointing out that in the seven years since the beginning of this service, over 6,600 trains packed with goods have made the Asia-Europe journey till the end of 2017. In the first half of this year, the rail service achieved a year-on-year increase of nearly 70 percent.

He called on the relevant authorities along the route to make further efforts and support to cultivate the market while strengthening resource-sharing, coordinating the whole process at customs, so as to make this route an important channel connecting Asia and Europe.

The Port of Constanta on the west coast of the Black Sea is the largest seaport in the eastern part of the European Union, consisting of a total of over 30 kilometers of quay and more than 150 berths.