Constantza Port Strategy Plan
Constantza, Romania

Founded by Constantine the Great in the fourth century A.D., the city of Constantza grew into the largest and busiest industrial port on the Black Sea. Constantza reached its commercial peak in the late 1980s, when its 65 million tons of annual throughput—primarily bulk coal, iron ore, oil, grain, construction materials, and general cargo—ranked fifth in Europe. Although the Romanian Ministry of Transportation had developed a master plan to make Constantza a rival to Rotterdam as the largest port in the world, it was disrupted by the political disintegration and economic turmoil that beset the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. With its traditional markets reeling, throughput at Constantza dropped to 28 million tons in 1991. However, political evolution opened the door to revived relations with Western Europe. In the new spirit of cooperation, the Dutch government retained DMJM+HARRIS to develop a plan that would rebuild Constantza into a leading international port.

DMJM+HARRIS developed a three-phase plan to assess the physical and operational conditions of the port, explore new market relationships, and develop a strategy to attract investors and transport. In Phase I, our planners developed a profile that identified the strengths and weaknesses of port facilities and operations. We suggested that replacing obsolete equipment and streamlining operations—along with equipment maintenance, personnel training, and environmental remediation measures—should be the top priorities as funding became available.

In Phase II, DMJM+HARRIS explored traditional and new markets for Constantza, concluding that investors and clients could most likely be found in the commercial sectors of bulk coal, iron ore, cement, food products, and consumer durables. To attract business, we proposed that Constantza highlight its hub position in Black Sea trade, and its potential as a commercial gateway to central and eastern Europe. In Phase III, DMJM+HARRIS worked with the port and appropriate government agencies to craft a strategy for attracting investors and clients. Physical planning details, notably the conceptual design of the new container terminal, were also refined. Using our three-phased program as a solid framework, Constantza rebuilt itself into a European gateway port and a bridge to Asia.