Romanian -American Agreements for Transports
According to the recent estimations, the Ministry of Transports, Constructions and Tourism (MTCT) could conclude, in the near future, new contracts with large American companies for the achievement of certain important infrastructure projects…
American investment in the railway
infrastructure
Last month, at the headquarters of MTCT, the
ceremony for signing the Declaration of Intention took place in order to
promote and to strengthen the cooperation between Romania and USA in the
transports sector. Misters Miron Mitrea, has signed the Declaration of
Intention on behalf of MTCT, and Samuel Bodman, deputy secretary of the USA
Trade Department, the chief of a delegation of American businessmen.
In the Declaration of Intention, the representatives of the two parties have
committed to co-work in order to accelerate the development of the transports
sector from Romania and to achieve bilateral trade programs meant to support
the trade partnerships between the American companies and the Romanian
companies in the development of the infrastructure. The context in which there
has been expressed the interest of the American companies to cooperate in
order to sustain the extension of the railway sector, of the highway, ports
and air transports from our country.
In the opinion of Mr. Miron Mitrea, the American support offered to Romania in
the last two years has been very strong. "I consider that an exceptional
political relationship and a very good military relationship represent
excellent premises for the very close trade relationships. The special support
that we have been granted in the last two years by the USA Trade Department
has been materialized by the presence in Bucharest of certain first class
American companies in the transports sector. We have negotiated important
contracts and we will continue this policy with the American companies. The
top American Banks have become important financing parties for our programs.
All these achievements have been possible due to the support of the American
Trade Department", he has also declared.
Romanian - American trade relationships
Between the Romanian Government, represented by the Ministry of Transports,
Constructions and Tourism and the USA Government, represented by the
Governmental Trade and Development Agency (US-TDA) have been signed several
agreements regarding the enhancement of obtaining non-reimbursable credits
meant for certain studies which beneficiary are the National Romanian Railway
Company "CFR" SA, CFR Marfa and CFR Calatori.
As the representatives of the two states were reminding, in the last years
there have been signed very important contracts between large American
companies and the three railway companies detached from the former SNCFR,
contract that have only one purpose, namely - the strengthening of the
Romanian - American trade relationships.
For example, on December 19, 2001, in Bucharest, there has been signed the
Non-Reimbursable Financing Agreement, between the Romanian Government,
represented by MPLTL and the Government of the United States of America,
represented by US-TDA, meant to finance the costs for the elaboration of a feasibility study and
for the prototype regarding the endowment of CFR SA with a system for
processing the data obtained with the help of the machines meant for measuring
the operational parameters of the railway and through the integrated IT system
for the railways - IRIS. The evaluation report of the offers has been analyzed
by US-TDA, which has assigned a winner - ZETA - TECH Company. After signing,
on April 2002, the contract between MLPTL and ZETA-TECH, a month later the
financing unit has sent the constructing company the advance payment necessary
for the beginning of the study. The contract is in development stage and it is
going to be finalized the current year.
Large companies and CFR SA
Harsco Track Technologies
For the success of the modernization process of the railway infrastructure,
CFR SA showed his interest in the development of certain collaborations with
Harsco Track Technologies (HTT), because this included a significant number of
well-known companies in the field of design, construction and exploitation of
machines specific for the construction, repair, maintenance, measuring and
diagnosis activities for the railways. The Group Harsco has also developed a
series of technologies meant for the automatic ultrasonic non-destructive
checking of the rail assembled in the track.
Up to the present time, there has been initiated a technical correspondence
between CFR SA and Harsco for the definition of the most advantageous
technical solutions for the Romanian party. In this respect, at the end of the
last year, CFR SA has finalized the list with the necessary track equipment,
and for their purchase, the specialized department within MTCT will start off
the necessary steps in order to obtain the governmental guarantees for an
external loan in a value of 30 million USD. Harsco has identified a possible
financing source (Exim Bank), while the Romanian party has initiated a draft
of a government decision for guaranteeing the credit, which presently is in
the noticing circuit within MTCT.
As there is well-known, CFR SA benefits of a BIRD loan for the achievement of
a rehabilitation loan of the railway infrastructure. Within the
above-mentioned financing, there has been established with the BIRD
specialists the purchase through international auction of a motorcar for the
track and contact line diagnosis (called TMC), of the auxiliary equipment and
of the accessories afferent to them, including the off-board equipment, the
technical and agreement documentation, soft programs, the training of the
personnel etc. the American group, famous for the performant machines meant
for the ultrasonic checking of the rail assembled in the track has expressed
its desire to make an offer for the above-mentioned equipment and, has bought
the auction documentation, requiring the prolongation of the period for
preparing the offer, demand granted by CFR SA.
Seneca Group
The initiator and the signing party (on July 2001, in Mangalia) of the
Quasi-partied Memorandum of Understanding PKP - ZSR - UZ - CFR, interested in
the rehabilitation of the railway section Gdansk - Constanta, CFR SA has
signed, on October 2001, a contract with Seneca Group for the consultancy
services in order to start the rehabilitation programs of the respective
railway section. Seneca Group has co-opted in this project a German partner -
Railstic, which representatives have met, at the beginning of the last year,
in Bucharest, with the specialists within CFR SA and of ISPCF, in order to
collect the data necessary to start off the study. The final report has been
sent for analysis to the management of CFR SA, who is going to make a
resolution a short time.
At the beginning of the current year there have been also discussed with
US-TDA in order to finance a feasibility study elaborated by Seneca Group
regarding the implementation in Romania of a complex monitoring and control
system of the train traffic of the type of those achieved by Lokheed Martin
company. The Romanian authorities wait for the answer from US-TDA with respect
to the financing of this project to be communicated on September.
Still at the begging of the current year, a delegation on behalf of MLPTL and
of CFR Marfa, leaded by the ministerial counselor, Mr. Ion Selaru, has made a
work visit to USA, on this occasion also taking place a meeting with the
representatives of Seneca Group company, in order to set the bases of a
consultancy necessary for the restructuring process of CFR Marfa. The purpose
of this measure is represented by the success recorded on the competition
market of the railway transport, right after the liberalization of the
company.
IAT International
CFR Marfa has proposed to modernize the locomotive fleet by repairing the
existing ones, as well as through the purchase of new ones. In this respect,
at the end of the last year, a delegation of CFR Marfa went to USA, aiming at
visiting the Motive Power factory, from Boise (Idaho), specialized in
repairing and modernizing the locomotives. Presently, the documentation
offered by the above-mentioned company is still in analysis stage, and
eventually it is going to be taken into consideration on the occasion of the
auction that will take place according to the legal provisions.
US Forces
Between CFR Marfa and US Forces has been concluded a convention regarding the
stability of the fares, of the transport conditions and for the payment of the
services provided to the American army for the KFOR trains in compliance with the demands of US Force
for the year 2002. Currently there are still made exchanges of information in
order to conclude a contract for the current year.
Still in 2002, CFR Marfa has made available to KFOR troops the ferryboat
terminal from Constanta Port, with all the afferent endowments. Yet, for a
future collaboration, the Romanian company requires, among others, the
limitation to the most 48 hours per week the utilization term of the ferryboat
and of the 120 moorage during the discharging/loading of the military
transport ships, in the days established between the commandment of KFOR
troops and the management of Constanta Ferryboat Branch Office of CFR Marfa.
General Motors
General Motors companies and Rotem (Romania) have attended the opened
international auction organized by CFR Calatori within the program aiming the
rehabilitation of the Diesel electrical locomotives of 2,100 HP, for which
there has been arranged an external loan in a value of 100 million USD, from
the Japanese Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC). The offers have been
opened on February 2002, and the current year Crown Agents, the consulting
company, has agreed regarding the adjudication of the auction in the favor of
the American company General Motors; the contract has been signed on January
2003, at the headquarters of MLPTL.
Hewlett-Packard
Within the visit made in the United States of America a delegation of MLPTL,
for about two years ago, there has been signed a memorandum of collaboration
with the company Hewlett Packard aiming at extending the system for
electronically selling the traveling tickets at the level of the entire
Romanian railway network.
In order to provide the financial resources necessary to accomplish this
project, CFR Calatori intends to contract a loan in a value of 25 million USD.
Presently, there is discussed with Alpha Bank in order to obtain a loan
agreement.
Chambers, Conlon&Hartwell
Through a contract (with BIRD financing) concluded in 1997 between the former
SNCFR and the American company Chambers, Conlon&Hartwell, the last one has
provided technical concultancy/assistance services in the restructuring
process of the Romanian railway system. Starting with 2000, the services of
technical assistance have continued with a EBRD financing, in a value of 1.6
million USD the client of the contract being, this time, the Coordination
Council of the Restructuring the Railway Sector, set up based on an order of
the minister of Transports. Presently, the representatives of MTCT are
studying the possibilities to continue, the next two-three years, the
consultancy activity in order to reach new objectives in the restructuring
program, especially with respect to the privatization of the freight
transport.
Instead of conclusions…
With respect to the strengthening of the Romanian -American relationships in
the 
transports field through the Declaration of Intention signed with MTCT,
Mr. Samuel Bodman wanted to specify, "The document is very important for
the infrastructure sector. The purpose of my visit is to open up a base for
the ulterior development of the trade relationships between our countries, to
establish contacts at governmental level and between the businessmen from our
countries, in order to strengthen the trade relationships. Today I represent
the president of USA, who, lately, has made everything in his power to
strengthen the relationships with your country, as an appreciation sign for
the support granted by the Romanians in the fight against international
terrorism. During this visit I will also make some suggestions to the
representatives of the Romanian Government related to the steps that the
Romanian authorities have to perform in order to extend the trade
relationships. At the end, I would like to thank to the minister Miron Mitrea
for the interest that he has showed."
Oana Branzan
