USAID PROGRAM “INSTITUTIONAL AND STRUCTURAL REFORMS IN MOLDOVA” (MISRA) WILL HELP MARITIME TRANSPORT IN MOLDOVA

The problem of professional training of maritime personnel - sailors, technical personnel on board of ships will be solved by the Program “Institutional and Structural Reforms in Moldova” (MISRA). As “INFOTAG” reports, there are 3 thousand ships registered in Moldova.

Despite this number, Moldova has no national system of professional training and certification of maritime personnel, although 348 documents issued to seafarers, 291 seafarers' cards, as well as 946 navigation certificates are registered in the field of maritime transport.

The war in Ukraine made it impossible to certify maritime transport specialists in Moldova. To address this problem, the USAID - MISRA program has assessed the current situation, formulated recommendations, and will assist government agencies in developing a legal framework in this area.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, inland waterway (river) transportation recorded a 1.5% growth in 2023, both in terms of cargo volume and route. According to the data of the Moldovan Naval Agency, in 2023, the Giurgiulesti International Free Port and the Giurgiulesti cargo and passenger port handled 2.66 million tons of cargo, which is 24.4% more than in 2022, serving 1,625 vessels.