The second business-to-business meeting of the ENERGY BARGE project took place on 22 November in Bratislava. The focus of the event, organised by the project partner Slovak Shipping and Ports JSC, was on green bioenergy logistics in Slovakia.

After an introduction to the EU Strategy for the Danube Region and explanations on the upcoming revision of the Action Plan of the EUSDR, the importance of inspection services in the realisation of trade and transport of biomass in order to avoid damaging effects on agricultural products were outlined. To foster the exchange of knowledge beyond the project area, the experiences of the Port of Antwerp regarding the transhipment and storage of biomass products were presented. This also comprised information about cargo shipped from Antwerp towards Central Europe as well as the possibility to handle biodiesel in the port.

© Slovak Shipping and Ports JSC

The Slovak Shipping and Ports JSC gave an outlook from the shippers and port operators’ perspective on the transport and transhipment of agricultural products and wood pellets in the ports of Bratislava and Komárno. Apart from risk factors in the transport of these products, like contamination or nautical conditions, especially the risk of low and high water levels and the most critical bottle necks on this regard in the Danube region were discussed.

© Slovak Shipping and Ports JSC

In the afternoon session, the audience moved to the ENERGY BARGE B2B matchmaking event organised by Slovak Shipping and Ports JSC. Scheduled in advance, actors along the supply chains could book brief 15-minute business dates with potential partners of interest to facilitate first contacts. Overall, 25 B2B meetings were requested by participants from Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary and Austria. The feedback from the participants indicated that the B2B meetings proved to offer favourable opportunities to exchange information and expand business networks in the sector of Danube logistics.