Romania to Buy Strategic Danube Port in Moldova

Moldova’s only Danube River port, Giurgiulesti. Photo: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

In a move poised to reshape regional logistics and deepen cross-border economic cooperation, Romania is set to acquire Moldova’s only Danube River port, Giurgiulesti, it was announced on Friday.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, EBRD, announced that it will sell Danube Logistics, the operator of the Giurgiulesti International Free Port, to the Romanian state-owned Port of Constanța.

The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. However, Romanian and Moldovan media reported last year that the deal could be worth about €60 million.

The EBRD said the sale follows “an extensive global mergers and acquisitions tender process” aimed at identifying a long-term strategic investor capable of further developing the port and reinforcing Moldova’s integration into regional and global trade networks.

Located roughly 130 kilometres from the Black Sea, near Moldova’s borders with Romania and Ukraine, Giurgiulesti provides landlocked Moldova with direct access to the Danube River and, through it, to Western European markets. The port has also become an important logistical gateway for trade flows to and from Central Asia.

The agreement comes amid heightened concerns over supply chain vulnerabilities in Eastern Europe, exacerbated by ongoing geopolitical tensions.

After Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports in 2022, Giurgiulesti played a critical role in facilitating the movement of goods to and from Ukraine. In the years that followed, the port handled record cargo volumes of between 1.8 and 2 million tonnes annually.

Analysts say that by securing control of Giurgiulesti, Romania aims to strengthen a more resilient regional trade corridor, reduce dependence on routes affected by conflict, and consolidate its position as a strategic logistics hub in Central and Eastern Europe.