The operator is currently fully controlled by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which acts as the ultimate beneficiary of the ISPA.
The information about the filing is confirmed by official documents consulted by the Romanian portal Profit.ro.
Romania’s proposal was submitted on April 24, shortly after the EBRD announced an international tender to attract strategic and financial investors to support the long-term development of the Giurgiulesti port, Moldova’s only access to the sea. Given that it is an asset of regional geostrategic importance, the Romanian state decided to participate in the selection process through CN APM SA, which also manages the port of Constanta, the largest on the Black Sea.
In parallel, the Romanian company announced an open tender for consulting services for the acquisition of a Moldovan port operator for 2 million Romanian lei (7.58 million Moldovan lei). Five economic operators have registered and the winning company will have to submit a due diligence report on Danube Logistics SRL’s assets, financial position, receivables and business prospects within three weeks.
However, the Romanian proposal is far from being the only one. As Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development Vladimir Bolia said on April 14 in a program on the RLive TV channel, eight potential investors have already expressed interest in acquiring the SMEI.
Bolia categorically rejected “speculative” information that an auction has already been organized to select an international investor to whom the EBRD will sell the asset.
“So far the auction has not been organized, the only thing that has been done is to send proposals to potential investors who may be interested in the asset as a purchase for further development. There now assessing the condition of the asset for possible value. We will deeply analyze the investor, we will be interested in the country of origin, who is the ultimate beneficiary, whether he has sufficient investments for further development of the asset,” said Deputy Prime Minister.
Giurgiulesti International Free Port is located at 133.8 kilometers of the Danube, in the south of Moldova, on the border with Romania and Ukraine. It is the only maritime access point to Moldova, offering multimodal connections – river, rail and road – for imports and exports.
The port, managed by Danube Logistics since 2005, has grown rapidly, becoming one of the most efficient on the Danube. In 2023, the volume of cargo handled reached a record 2.17 million tons, 18.6% more than in 2022. The number of containers handled also reached an all-time high of 8,460.
