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FAIRway in a nutshell

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FAIRway Danube is thriving to contribute to an increased safety, efficiency and environmental friendliness of inland navigation by setting the following steps:

  • Update national action plans regularly (twice a year, October and May)
  • Concerted purchase of advanced equipment for hydrological services (gauging stations, surveying and marking vessels)
  • Carry out pilot activities and evaluate results:
    • Collection of basic data for all critical sections of the Danube waterway
    • Analysis and evaluation of the data collected as basis for coherent monitoring of the navigation status
    • Harmonised water level forecasts
    • Optimized routing of the fairway based on current depth measurements
  • Develop innovative approaches in the area of aerial monitoring, modern Aids to Navigation, and any other supporting tools for fairway rehabilitation

FAIRway Danube key facts

Project name: FAIRway Danube

Acronym: FAIRway Danube

Type: co-financed by the Connecting Europe facility (CEF) programme.

Sector: inland waterway transport

Coordinator: Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology

Project Coordinator: via donau – Österreichische Wasserstraßen-Gesellschaft mbH

Duration: 07/2015 – 12/2021

Partners: 7 organisations from 6 Danube countries

Budget: EUR 23.4 Mn

Funding rate: 85% (cohesion countries) & 50% (Austria)

EU-Financing (CEF): EUR 19.6 Mn

The focus of FAIRway Danube is to provide current and harmonized information about shallow sections, water levels and water level forecasts. Available depths will be used optimally by adapting the location of the waterway to the current riverbed conditions. In parallel, FAIRway Danube is aiming at preparing the harmonized rehabilitation of the Danube and its navigable tributaries. Pilot operations of new harmonised services for waterway users, the provision of feedback and the contribution to technical specifications or operational concepts are integral parts of FAIRway Danube.

A key objective is also the involvement of stakeholders for approval and validation of results by means of pilots.

Contact:

Andreas Bäck (Project Coordinator)
via donau – Österreichische Wasserstraßen-Gesellschaft mbH
Donau-City-Straße 1, A-1220 Vienna
Tel: +43 (0) 50 4321-1609
Email: andreas.baeck[at]viadonau.org

Claudiu Dutu (Project Dissemination)
AFDJ – River Administration of the Lower Danube Galati
Galati, 32 Portului Street, Romania
Tel: +40 (36) 460016
Email: claudiu.dutu[at]afdj.ro