The Port of Constanța has completed the acquisition of 100% of ICS Danube Logistics from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). As a result, the Romanian port authority is now the owner of the Giurgiulești International Free Port, Moldova’s only sea-river port.
The transaction was concluded for €62m, according to Claudiu Staicu, Deputy Director General of European Transport Programmes at Romania’s Ministry of Transport, writing on LinkedIn.
Giurgiulești is located at the junction of Moldova, Romania and Ukraine, between two of the Black Sea region’s main ports: Port of Constanța and Port of Odesa. As such, “the strategic rationale makes sense”, Staicu said.
‘Ports are struggling’
However, the acquisition is not expected to resolve all of the structural challenges facing Romanian ports, which have contributed to declining cargo volumes. Staicu noted that “the existing system — Constanța, Galați, the Danube corridor — still lacks the coherent, integrated strategy needed to unlock its potential”. At the same time, Romania is committing substantial investment to a third port located outside its borders.
“Romanian port volumes, both on the Black Sea and along the Danube, have been moving in the wrong direction”, he said. While the purchase of Giurgiulești is widely seen as a logical step, Staicu argued that it must form part of a broader and coherent national ports strategy. This, he added, will require not only funding but also an “EU-aligned vision”, something that has not always been easy to achieve in the past.
Rail freight in Giurgiulești
Given its strategic position, Giurgiulești also serves as an important rail freight hub. The rail networks of Moldova and Ukraine use the 1,520mm gauge, while Romania operates the 1,435mm standard gauge. However, Giurgiulești is linked to the Romanian port of Galați by a broad-gauge railway line, removing the need for transhipment at the border.