Dynamic river management enables navigation under low water conditions

27 November 2024

FAIRway Danube II is a transnational project supported by CEF (2023-2027) with the involvement of Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania that aims to increase the fairway conditions on the Danube and make inland navigation more climate resilient, sustainable and attractive. It is a follow-up project of the successful first FAIRway Danube project.

As part of the project, flexible infrastructure elements have been tested on the Austrian Danube. A loaded barge is positioned temporarily at a critical section to act as training wall during low water. The barge is removed when no longer needed to help provide a reliable fairway. The first test was successful. This unique approach is less invasive than fixed infrastructure, as it can be removed after low water periods and then has no further impact on the riverbed. In this way, the reliability of inland navigation will be improved without any permanent impact on habitats and ecosystems. The pilots will be also rolled out with a various number of barges and angles in Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria during forthcoming low water periods.

The FAIRway Danube II project works on achieving good navigation status, upgrades water level forecast and the trans-national waterway monitoring system as well as on the provision and modernisation of mooring places.

More information on www.fairwaydanube2.eu