Danube-Morava-Vardar /

Axios-Aegean Sea
waterway
and
Silk Road Economic Belt
Prof. Milena Nikolic, phd
Dragan Duncic, msc

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The idea of navigable waterway
• The idea to connect Danube River with
Aegean Sea by construction of waterway
trough valleys of Morava and Vardar / Axios
River is based on their geographic and
topographic characteristics and terrain
advantages, as well as on the strategic
importance of connecting the Northern,
Western and Central Europe with the
Mediterranean Sea

• Natural location of rivers Morava and

Vardar / Axios and the possibility of their
connection with the short section between
the South Morava and Pcinja Rivers, provide
excellent opportunities for the
implementation of waterway from Danube
River to the Thessaloniki port and Aegean
Sea

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Historical background
• The importance of enabling navigation through
Morava River was recognized even back in 1841,
when this topic was brought to public after four
postal ships sailed to Cuprija town and when it was
proposed and published in "The Serbian
newspaper“ that "Morava should be measured and
the possibility of navigation considered”.

• After that, a "French - Serbian Society of

navigation" was formed and it operated in period
1844 - 1864, organizing navigation on the Danube,
Sava and Morava Rivers.

• In the period 1844 - 1864, “The French-Serbian

society for navigation" joined the interests of the
French “Major company for navigation", which was
established by decree of Napoleon on 14th
September 1850, and has launched number of
activities to implement navigation on the Danube,
Sava and Morava Rivers.
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Historical background
• In July 1859 a French company addressed Prince Milos Obrenovic with a request for an
exclusive license for a period of thirty years of navigation by steamer on the Morava River.
Although the Russians were interested in the right of navigation on the Morava River, the
contract was yet signed with the French company on 18th September 1860.

• The company was interested for the establishment of navigation on the Danube, Sava and
Morava Rivers, then for the Morava River regulation, for mines exploitation in Dobre and
Majdanpek, as well as for a railroad project implementation needed for overcoming difficulties
of navigation through the Iron Gate.

• Economic interest of the company was firstly exploitation of mines and sale of French salt in
Serbia, where the regulation of the Morava River was not included, and thus the contract was
canceled in 1864.

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Historical background

• Serbia has tried to make Morava River

navigable in 1867, when the detailed
examination was conducted in order to test
its capabilities. Afterwards, a special small
steamer named "Morava" was built for
specific tests and measurements of the Velika
Morava River, from its confluence to Cuprija
town. The expedition started in 1869, and it
was led by Anta Aleksic, an engineering
officer.

• In 1879, "Bulletin of the Serbian Learned

Society" published a book of Ante Aleksic
"Morava- its present state and possibilities of
navigation" which outlined the technical
possibilities and economic feasibility of the
navigation on the Morava River.

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Historical background
• In 1904, proposal was made for building a waterway that would
connect the Danube with the Aegean Sea. In this regard, there
were tries for getting funds for the project from England and
Germany.
• In New Jersey (USA), in 1907, "American engineering company”
was formed that hired Professor Nicholas Stamenkovic from the
Technical Faculty of the University of Belgrade to make
preliminary studies, survey and general design of the waterway
route Morava-Vardar.
• At that time, the waterway from the Danube River via the Morava
River to the Aegean Sea was called the "line of European economic
gravity in relation to Suez.“
• In the past 100 years, there have been written number of articles,
studies and analyses of the possibilities of navigation on the
Morava River, as well as on its importance for Serbia. However,
due to lack of investments, no project was developed up to this
day. In 1973, group of United Nations experts wrote a report on
fairway Morava-Vardar / Axios, and the design institute "Ivan
Milutinovic" - PIM prepared a study on "The addition of the 6
conceptual design - fairway Morava-Vardar / Axios", in which they
Recent activities
• At the beginning of 2013, professor Milan Bacevic raised again the issue of integral Morava
River regulation and construction of the navigable waterway from Danube River to the Aegean
Sea, by signing the Protocol of understanding for the Preparation of the Viability Study for
Construction of Waterway Canal Morava with the Company „China Gezhouba Group
Corporation”.

• After data collection, research and numerous analyses, in October 2013 „China Gezhouba Group
Corporation” submitted the Comprehensive planning report-Morava valley with
recommendations for construction of waterway and preliminary evaluation of needed
investments, proposing to the Government of the Republic of Serbia to consider project, and
define next steps.

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Recent activities
According to this Comprehensive planning report-Morava valley, as well as opinion of
relevant Serbian experts, the project should include:
 Flood protection
 Construction of irrigation system for surrounding high quality agricultural land
 Improvement of water supply system for surrounding cities and industries
 Exploitation of hydro energetic potential and navigation
 Tourism by developing nautical tourism, fishing and other related activities
 Prevention of negative demographic processes in the South and Central Serbia
 Environmental protection

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Technical characteristics of Canal
The basic parameters of the waterway Morava-Vardar/Axios are:
 Total length: 650 km
 Waterway length in the Morava section: 346 km
 Waterway length in the Vardar section 275 km
 Length of the watershed: 30 km
 Total length in regulated river flows of Morava and Vardar-Axios-Pcinja river: 484 km
 Total length of lateral canals/waterways: 166 km
 Length of the canal branch along Zapadna Morava river to the City of Kraljevo: 73 km
 Length of the canal branch along Nisava river to the City of Nis: 15 km
 Length of the canal branch along Vardar river to the City of Skopje: 35 km

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Technical characteristics

Waterway Ships/barges
Characteristics Unit Parameter Kind of ship or
bargetow Self
Waterway class Ⅳ Pushed Barge tow in
Ship/barge propelled
barge formation P+1+1
tow particulars cargo ship
Depth of water in the
m 4.00
middle cross-section
Overall length, m 80.00 70.00 86.50
Depth at water in the edge
m 3.75
of the bottom One barge length, m 38.25
Maximum width at draft
m 28.00 Pushboat length, m 10.00
level
Side slope up to the height Width, m 9.50 9.50 9.50
1:4
of 1 m
Side slope over the height Draft, m 2.50 2.50 1.90
1:3
of 1 m
Carrying capacity, t 1350 1250 2x530 = 1060
Minimum radius of bends m 800

*АGN suggests class Vb for new

waterways

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Technical characteristics of Canal
For the hydro-engineering purpose, the waterway was divided into five sections:
1. From Great Morava River confluence into South and West Morava Rivers confluence near the
Stalac town, length 150 km - mostly using the natural riverbed of Great Morava River
2. From Stalac town, trough the riverbed of South Morava River to the watershed near Presevo town
– length 108 km of natural riverbed of South Morava River and 89 km of the lateral canal
3. From watershed to the horizontal canal between two basins, length 30 km
4. From the end of horizontal canal on the watershed trough Republic of Macedonia to the
Macedonian-Greece border, length 202 km (natural riverbed of Varadar and Pcinja rivers length
169 km and divided lateral canal with length 32 km)
5. From the Macedonian-Greece border to Thessaloniki and the Aegean Sea, length 73 km (natural
riverbed of Vardar/Axios - length 57 km and lateral canal with length 17 km to Thessaloniki).

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Hydropower production
Current situation/problems

 The installed capacity of hydropower station in Serbia is accounting

for 30% of the total installed capacity
 There are 25 hydropower stations in the Morava Valley with
installed capacity of 1,500 MW
 The theoretical standing stock of water power resources in the main
stream of the Morava River is 350 MW

Proposed solutions/projects

 5 hydro power plants on Great Morava river

 The planned installed capacity in the South Morava Valley is 119
MW and average annual energy output is 476 GWh
 The planned installed capacity in the West Morava Valley is 60 MW
and average annual energy output is 237 GWh

Effects/benefits

 After the completion of planned cascade, the installed capacity will be increased by 360 MW, and the generating
capacity will be increased by 1,428 GWh
 The annual power generation benefit amounts to 85.7 million euros
 Increasing the participation of renewable energy in energy production
Decreasing imported electric energy dependence
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
Flood protection
Current situation/problems
 At present, long section of water front in the Morava river is not protected by embankment or
dam, which makes large areas of agricultural districts under the threat of flood.
 The existing embankments along main stream and branches of the Morava are old and with low
construction standards.
 In case of an 100-year-occurrence flood of the South Morava, the total area of flood plains is
about 134 km2 (about 13,431 hectares) and the flood water will spill over some section of existing
embankment. In case of a 20-year-occurrence flood, the existing embankment can provide proper
protection and accordingly, the area of flood plains will be 90 km2 (about 9,085 hectares).
 In case of a 100-year-occurrence flood of the Great Morava, the area of flood plains will be about
281 km2 and accordingly in case of a 20-year-occurrence flood, the area will be 189 km2.
 In case of a 100-year-occurrence flood of the West Morava, the area of flood plains will be about
86 km2and accordingly in case of a 20-year-occurrence flood, the area will be 58 km2.
Proposed solutions/projects
 It is planned to be realized by building a 5-km-long embankment between the highway and
railway bridge near Cuprija.
 The embankment on the right of the river at Boboviste is severely eroded by flood and it is in
urgent need to be consolidated.
 It is planned to build a 3 km-long embankment at Vitkovac to resist 50-year-occurrence flood.
 On the stream about 70 km from the river mouth, it is planned to build an embankment about 3
km long along this stream.
 The length of the accomplished embankment project will be 212 km.
 Flood control reservoir (ST26) will be built.
Effects/benefits

 Improvement of flood control system

 Agricultural land protection and increase of agricultural production


Protection of settlements, infrastructure and other facilities
Neutralization of negative economic effects as a consequence of flooding 13
Water supply
Current situation/problems
 Total water consumption of the city reaches 232 million m3, of which, domestic
water takes up 50%, with an amount of 109 million m3, while annual industrial
water takes up 16%, with an amount of 31 million m3.
 There are 23 reservoirs in the Morava Valley, mainly locates on its tributaries.
 The water quality is mainly low, the distribution system is worn out, level of
connection of households to the central water supply system is low, water sources
protection is inadequate.
 The unevenness of water supply.

Proposed solutions/projects

 As forecasted, the annual water demand of cities in the Great Morava Valley will be
319 million m3 in 2020 and 376 million m3 in 2030.
 After the completion of the planning for water source projects, the assurance rate of
domestic and industrial productive water will reach 95%, the assurance rate of
ecological water will be 90%, and the assurance rate of agricultural water will be
75%-90%.
 Till 2030, it will meet the water demand for 3,191,000 persons and 14,500 hectares
farmland under irrigation. 228,000,000 m3 will be added into the water supply
capacity.

Effects/benefits

 Improvement of water supply for population and industry in terms of quality and quantity of water
 Increase user of organized water supply system
Increase the quality of life

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

 Solving numerous problems and shortcomings in the system of water supply in all settlements
Irrigation
Current situation/problems
 There is 1.5 million hectares of cultivated land in the Morava Valley,
of which land that are suitable for irrigation occupies 0.2 million
hectares while irrigated area occupies only 4,500 hectares, taking up
only 0.3%.
 The water efficiency of irrigation in the Morava Valley is 0.5.

Proposed solutions/projects
 Three reservoirs serving as irrigation water sources are planned to be
constructed in the South Morava Valley (Dobrotin), the West Morava
Valley (Maskare) and the Great Morava Valley (Bagrdan).
 It is planned the construction of supporting canal system which will
guarantee the impermeability of the canal system, so as to improve
the water efficiency.
 Development of modern water-saving irrigation regions and
popularizing modern irrigation technologies like dripping irrigation
and sprinkling irrigation.
Effects/benefits

 It is predicted that the cultivated land in the Morava Valley will reach 1.5 million hectares by the planning level year of
2020, and 1.6 million hectares by the planning level year of 2030.
 The irrigated area in this river valley will reach 8,500 hectares by the planning level year of 2020 and 14,500 hectares by
the planning level year of 2030.
 It is planned that the water efficiency of irrigation will reach 0.6 in 2020 and 0.7 in 2030. 15
Water protection
Current situation/problems

 Industrial waste water and sewage from households from settlements on both sides
are discharged directly into the river with a few protective treatments.
 The main pollution sources include urban sewage, industrial wastewater, and sewage
from dairy farms and stables.
 As per Serbia water class management measures, the water quality of the Morava
River falls into Class II. As per the data base used by Serbia Hydrometeorological
Research Institute from 2006 to 2009 the water quality of the Morava River falls into
Class III/IV.

Proposed solutions/projects

 The sewage needs to be collected into the urban sewage treatment plant for
centralized treatment, and the drainage water up to the standard after treatment
shall be drained into the non-drinking water source function area.
 Build systems for urban waste water treatment.
 Sewage regeneration technology process is to treat effluent in the secondary sewage
treatment plant and successively contains coagulating sedimentation, filtering
(membrane technology), and disinfection.
 put the sewage regeneration application and matching facilities into trial running
before 2020, perfect and adjust the equipment during 2030 to make it mature.
 Expand the forest area.
 Development of ecological agriculture.
 Develop a network of water quality monitoring system.
Effects/benefits

 Preservation of water quality

 Preservation of drinking water sources

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 Improvement the environmental situation
 Reducing pollution of agricultural and other land
 Increase forest coverage
Importance of the project
• System of valleys of the Great, West and South Morava
Rivers represents the backbone of the spatial structure of
the Central Serbia. Geostrategic potentials that are
crucial for the development of Serbia, for its development
activities, the concentration of population, development
of urban agglomerations, agriculture, with strong
economic axis, are concentrated in this area.

• Morava River basin covers 42% of Serbian land, where

approximately three million people live, and its water
potential at confluence is 45% out of the total water
resources in Serbia.

• The Project of regulating the Morava River basin in

Serbia and the construction of the waterway Danube-
Aegean Sea are compatible with the two main tendencies
of modern society - connecting countries and natural and
water resources conservation. According to data from the
Central European Development Forum, by 2025 two
thirds of humanity will feel a serious lack of water, so the
multifunctional and integrated approach to water
resources management is a duty of every responsible
society. 17
Broader context
• By the construction of the Rhine-Main-Danube
Canal, the Danube became the backbone of a
single waterway that connects the North and the
Black Sea, that is, the ports of Rotterdam and
Constanta. This created a new trade route
Е – 80 DUNAV between the countries of the North, Central and
Western Europe, and a direct connection to the
Black Sea, which also means the connection with
the Suez Canal and the Middle and Far East
region.

• The geostrategic position of the Pannonia Plain

and the Sava-Danube connection with the
Morava basin, which is linked with Vardar and,
further, with the Aegean Sea and the
Mediterranean, is a unique system of valley-
lowland zones of Europe. By linking all of them, a
great waterway could be created, one that would
connect the North, South and Central Europe,
thanks to the Pan-European Corridor 7, the
Danube, and the existing waterway Rhine-Main-
Danube Canal.
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Broader context
• The aspiration to connect the East and West, China and Europe dates back to the old days,
before Christ. Over time, with occasional contacts of Eastern with Western civilizations led to
development of the ancient Silk Road, about 6500 kilometres long, used for goods (spices, silk,
glass, ivory, precious stones, etc.) transportation, religion expansion, interchange of cultural
achievements and created knowledge.

• The decline of the importance of mainland Silk Road began with the rise of the Chinese overseas
trade. Travelling by the sea proved to be cheaper, safer and faster. Therefore, the digging of the
Suez Canal was of fundamental importance for connecting China, India, the Middle East and
Europe.

• This important maritime route –proposed Danube-Morava-Vardar / Axios-Aegean Sea

waterway- could be a modern alternative to the ancient Silk Road. It would link the North
Europe with the Mediterranean Sea, through the center of the Balkan Peninsula, being an
important strategic project not only for Serbia, but for all the countries of the North, Western
and Central Europe and the Middle and Far East region as well.

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THANK YOU FOR
YOUR
ATTENTION!

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