The Danube is the second largest river in Europe, going through fourteen countries, and it is consider to be “the Gate” of Europe. The Rhine- Main- Danube canal enables the navigation from Rotterdam to the Black Sea. It is therefore very important to have a competent fleet able to meet schedules, to adapt to draught and to be resource efficient, to decrease the harmful exhaust emissions, as well as the fuel consumption. These advantages are compiled in the novel container ship NEWS, as well as logistical innovation to grant costumers satisfaction.
As the topic of the thesis is the regional divergence regarding transport flows, the expected results of the thesis will be the analysis of the good flows between the regions of study. Although the Danube passes through fourteen counties, this thesis will focus on the region from Austria to Hungary, passing through Slovakia. The main result is a complete and competent analysis showing the amount carried by cargoes through the region of study, comparing the goods transported between countries and the way these goods are being transported. Therefore it will be taken into account the modal split of the transportation in the area of study, considering the importance of the road, rail and inland waterway transportation. A more specific study will be developed about the last mode of transport, considering if the transportation is done with or without containers, the capacity of the vessels and their type, etc.
This thesis aims to prove the expected results being as accurate as possible. The results are expected to be useful and enable a conclusion that can be used for forthcoming studies and projects. Moreover this thesis aims to reach the expected results to know the regional divergence within Austria and Hungary.
Concerning to the methodology a deskwork is expected. As the aim is to realize a competent and serious analysis it would be necessary to study real data to understand, and therefore we able to prove, the modes of transport in the three countries of study, focusing in the inland shipping. Thus, the database will be taken by the Eurostat data provided of the last years, enabling the knowledge of the goods transported in the different countries, the capacity of their cargoes and similar data required in the project.
As said above, the development of NEWS can mean the development of the region of the Danube and also a growth oh the GDP of its countries. Furthermore, it should also be considered that a modernization and improvement of the Danube fleet could be one of the basis for the development of East-Europe / Balkan countries, a region with a potential development. Thus, it is indispensable to know how the transportation of goods is working nowadays and its regional divergence, to have a basis to develop the logistical aspects that the main project will have to face.
