The GPO Terminal
Technical concept & presentation
A terminal designed for flexibility, speed, and simultaneous operations — to European standards, in the river-sea area of the Port of Constanța.
A modern terminal in the river-sea area
The GPO Terminal covers 9,714 m² on Plot 36.1, Dana 97, in the river-sea area of the Port of Constanța. The investment objective is to create a modern liquid products terminal to European standards, increasing the share of liquid cargo transported by water and the volumes handled in the port.
Unlike existing terminals, predominantly focused on petroleum products and operated by state-owned companies, GPO offers a predictable commercial environment, modern technology, and the ability to handle three product categories simultaneously — liquid bitumen, biodiesel, and liquid fertilizers — with no technological losses and no risk of cross-contamination.
9714
m² terminal area
6
tanks × 5,000 m³
15000
tonnes simultaneous capacity
450000
tonnes/year operating capacity
Simultaneous operations — the essence of the technical concept
The terminal configuration allows a vessel to be discharged into a tank in parallel with loading other products into road tankers and rail wagons — without one process blocking the other.
Vessel unloading
Tank unloading rates: 250–300 mc/h, using the vessel’s own pumps, via marine loading arm (bitumen) or flexible DN250–DN300 hoses (biodiesel, fertilizers).
Road loading
Two simultaneous bays, full/empty metrological weighing, arms or DN80 hoses, rates of 80–100 mc/h, controlled via mass metering.
Rail loading
90 m internal rail facility, parking capacity of 6 wagons, loading rates of up to 250 mc/h, fixed weighing at entry.
All processes are monitored and coordinated by a single dispatcher from the administrative building, via the SCADA system. Transport documents (CMR, consignment notes) are generated automatically at the end of the operation.
Operational flow — step by step
From vessel berthing to issuing transport documents, all stages are standardized and automated.
- Berthing at Dana 97 and inspection by the Romanian Naval Authority.
- Quantity and quality check: the independent inspector (the cargo owner’s representative) boards the vessel together with the terminal’s quality operator. The cargo quantity on board is verified and 2 samples per tank are taken and sent to a certified laboratory for quality certification.
- Connection: the quay operator, together with the vessel crew, connects the marine loading arm or flexible hose to the vessel manifold.
- System preparation: terminal staff open the line valves, prepare the pump, and check tank inventory — from the terminal’s dry manifold to the storage tank, in accordance with work instructions.
- Start unloading: the dispatcher orders the start of pumping until the unloading rate agreed with the vessel agent is reached. Unloading is carried out using the vessel’s own pumping unit.
- Continuous monitoring: the dispatcher monitors flow, pressure, and temperatures. Terminal staff monitor the tank, pumping line, and the connection to the vessel manifold.
- Completion: the valves on the tank and line are closed, the arm/hose is disconnected, and the cargo is received quantitatively and qualitatively at the tank.
Loading river vessels from the terminal follows the same principle, in reverse.
- Transfer from tank: the stored product is transferred from the storage tank using the pumps in the pump house (flows of 80–250 mc/h, depending on the installation).
- Rail wagons: the product reaches each wagon via the loading arms. Quantity is measured by mass meters; once the prescribed quantity is reached, the solenoid valves on the pipelines of each arm close automatically.
- Road tankers: the pump house supplies both loading bays simultaneously. For fertilizers and biodiesel, quantity is metered with flowmeters; bitumen is loaded from the top, the rest from the bottom.
- Automated control: the process flow is controlled via solenoid valves that separately isolate each facility. Control is performed from the administrative building, via the automation system.
- Transport documents: through the same automation system, the documents accompanying the cargo are issued (quantity, quality, product identity, loading time).
Terminal components
Nine technical elements integrated into a single automated flow.
Tank farm
6 storage tanks (5,000 m³) + 1 operational bitumen tank (500 m³).
Transfer systems
Product-dedicated process pipelines, with short routes and thermal insulation where needed.
Internal rail facility
90 m operating ramp, 6-wagon capacity, with fixed weighing at entry.
Pumping unit
10 canned pumps, product-dedicated, with temperature, vibration, and displacement sensors.
Dedicated fire-fighting system
Fire pump house and firewater tank, 40-minute autonomy in accordance with legislation.
Thermal plant
Thermal oil for the bitumen heating circuits.
Truck loading rack
2 loading/unloading bays + 2 metrologically certified scales.
SCADA control center
Administrative building (300 m², G+1) with control room and video monitoring system.
Infrastructure
Access roads, concrete platform, containment bund for tanks.
European standard, ESG profile
The project meets current European requirements and delivers a positive impact by reducing emissions and ensuring the availability of imported products via maritime transport.
EU compliance
All design, permitting, and authorization stages were completed in December 2024, in line with current national and European legislation.
Reduced emissions
Transporting products by water, in large volumes, reduces emissions per tonne/kilometer significantly compared to long-distance road or rail transport.
Eligible financing
The project is part of EU priority axes in the transport sector and is eligible for non-reimbursable funding of over 50%.
Explore the terminal
Three complementary perspectives on the investment.
Location & connectivity
Dana 97, Plot 36.1 — true multimodal access (sea, river, rail, road).
Shall we talk about operations at GPO?
Send us the product type, annual quantity, and transport modes — we’ll get back to you with a tailored technical and commercial proposal.
