Strengthening Resilience on the Lower Danube: PLOTO Use Case A in Romania
Within the framework of the PLOTO Project, Use Case A focused on enhancing multiple-hazard assessment and strategic management along one of Europe’s most important inland waterway corridors: the Lower Danube River.
Covering the sector from Brăila (Rkm 170) to Sulina (Rkm 0), including the Sulina Bar, the Romanian pilot addressed critical port areas such as Brăila Port, the Galați Port Complex (Bazinul Nou and Docuri), Isaccea Port, and Tulcea Port. These locations represented strategic hotspots where climate-related and operational hazards significantly impacted navigation and port operations.
Improving Hazard Assessment and Decision-Making
The partners involved in the Use Case pursued three main objectives:
- Enhancing multi-hazard assessment and strategic protection of inland waterway hotspots;
- Improving strategic and operational decision-making;
- Testing the integrated PLOTO platform and its tools under real-world conditions.
Floods and droughts were identified as primary hazards, alongside other barriers to navigation such as low water levels, icing and extreme cold, fog, strong winds, storms, and high water-level variability.
The pilot relied on a comprehensive dataset integrated into the PLOTO platform, including:
- Water level and temperature data
- Hydrographic and bathymetric data
- Public meteorological data
- GIS data with elevation layers
- River morphology information
- Ice coverage monitoring
A Strong National Collaboration
The pilot brought together key Partners in the PLOTO consortium:
AFDJ Galati provided official and qualified hydrological data for the Danube sector.
Danubius International University of Galati contributed socioeconomic studies, business consultancy, and dissemination activities.
The Romanian River Transport Cluster supported port asset mapping and facilitated discussions on adaptation and mitigation measures.
Lessons Learned and Long-Term Value
The Romanian use case demonstrated the sustainability of the PLOTO platform for multi-hazard assessments and for optimising operational and strategic management and maintenance decisions on inland waterways. It also highlighted the importance of:
- Establishing common open-data spaces accessible to all naval stakeholders;
- Strengthening end-user engagement through a more hands-on approach to data provision and quality;
- Linking research and development actions more closely to recurring climate-related events.
By validating the platform under real conditions, Use Case A confirmed the role digital innovation can play in strengthening the resilience and competitiveness of inland waterways across Europe.
