Slovak Republic

Slovak Republic, abbreviation Slovakia, EU country in Schengen customs system and Eurozone, with 5,5 million inhabitants and over 49 thousands quadrat kilometers area. Slovakia is a landlocked country in the geographical middle of Europe. Slovakia is connected with the Black sea through Danube river and with other ports of Europe through rails and roads. The geographical location on the East periphery of the European union makes Slovakia one of the contact countries of the Schengen area with the intact and ascension transshipments points.

Maritime ports

Slovakia as a landlocked country has no seaports.

Inland waterways ports

The Slovak republic has 3 inland waterway ports - in Bratislava, Komárno and Štúrovo.

The port of Bratislava is strategically the most important public port in Slovakia with more than 80% share of the total output of public ports and a relatively high potential for further development. Currently, the Bratislava port is used for a transhipment of goods between rail, road and water transport, directly or with an intermediate storage. It is located close to major transport centres - Vienna and Budapest. Due to it has an ideal waterway connection with the aforementioned cities. The most frequently transported commodities are bulk goods, general goods, liquid goods, heavy and oversize good.

The port of Bratislava

The most frequently transhipped commodities in the Bratislava port (in thousands of tons):

	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Bulk cargo
Iron ore	726	522	1,066	973	983	1,367	1,329	1,164	1,068	993	1,069
Steel products	156	172	238	152	46	130	75	39	20	40	90
Artificial Fertilizers	240	203	210	188	152	173	157	144	151	116	117
Agricultural products	139	91	43	25	8	7	10	3	6	12	2
Coal, coke	13	23	15	10	96	265	5	0	3	1	0
Liquid cargo
Diesel	336	326	430	432	612	513	428	286	512	333	516
Petrol	259	187	197	166	163	156	167	197	157	141	143
Light and heavy heating oils	21	22	38	65	19	117	133	120	87	36	9
Total	1,960	1,605	2,276	2,127	2,134	2,746	2,350	2,013	2,053	1,716	2,009

The port of Komárno

The most frequently transhipped commodities in Komárno port (in thousands of tons):

	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Bulk cargo
Iron ore	14	5	148	25	1	3	2	4	31	24	1
Artificial fertilizers	19	14	13	0	3	30	19	23	36	24	12
Agricultural products	115	52	75	30	13	12	8	8	2	10	88
Coal, coke	35	59	68	200	208	196	1	6	4	1	7
Liquid cargo
Diesel	104	100	120	126	119	133	121	84	0	0	0
Petrol	66	36	32	39	41	43	27	16	0	0	0
Total	442	343	490	448	413	457	200	149	87	85	115

The public port in Štúrovo is the smallest of all Slovak public ports. The port operations performance in the Štúrovo port is minimal. The Štúrovo port focuses on the passenger transport. The trend derives from the rich history of Štúrovo and the town of Ostrihom (the settlement of the Archbishopric) on the opposite bank henceforth supporting the development of tourism.

Dry ports

In Slovakia there are nine container terminals in operation. Four of them are classified as a “dry port”: in Bratislava, Dunajská Streda, Žilina, Košice-Haniska. 90% of combined transport is transported through those terminals which means approx. 4,5 million tones.

Airports

Slovakia has a developed aviation sector, however due to limited distances within the small country and close proximity to major international hubs in neighbouring countries (Vienna, Budapest, Prague), passenger and cargo turnover is lower. Air links play an important role in tourism and economic development in the country. All airports are actively looking for new airlines and connections.

There are 2 main (Bratislava – www.bts.aero, Košice – www.airportkosice.sk) and several small international public airports (Poprad-Tatry – www.airport-poprad.sk, Sliač – www.airportsliac.sk, Piešťany – www.airport-piestany.sk, Žilina – www.letisko.sk) for commercial air transport. Scheduled flights are operated from 3 airports (Bratislava, Košice, Poprad-Tatry).

Major airlines operating scheduled flights from Slovak airports are:

• Ryanair (numerous European destinations from BTS – www.ryanair.com)
• Wizzair (several European destinations from KSC, TAT, BTS – www.wizzair.com)
• Czech Airlines (to Prague, Bratislava and Kiev from KSC, to Prague and Košice from BTS – www.csa.cz)
• Austrian Airlines (to Vienna from KSC – www.austrian.com)
• LOT (to Warsaw from KSC – www.lot.com)
• Pobeda (to Moscow from BTS – www.pobeda.aero)
• FlyDubai (to Dubai from BTS – www.flydubai.com)
• Travel Service Airlines/Smartwings (seasonal leisure flights to many seaside destinations from BTS, KSC – www.smartwings.com)
• Turkish Airlines (to Istanbul from KSC, intends to start operations during summer 2016 – www.turkishairlines.com)

On the Slovak civil aviation register there are several airline companies, mostly providing operations outside of the country (charter flights, ACMI operations):

• AirExplore (www.airexplore.sk) – operating B737-400, B737-800 aircraft
• Go2Sky Airline (www.go2sky.eu) – operating B737-400, B737-800 aircraft
• Travel Service Airlines Slovakia (www.smartwings.com) – operating B737-800, A320 aircraft
• Air Cargo Global (www.acg-air.com) – operating B747-400F (cargo) aircraft

Number of passengers by year and airport (pax):

	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Bratislava (BTS)	1 937 642	2 024 142	2 218 545	1 710 018	1 665 704	1 585 064	1 416 010	1 373 078	1 355 625	1 564 311
Košice (KSC)	343 818	443 448	590 919	352 460	267 060	264 866	235 754	237 165	356 750	410 449
Poprad-Tatry (TAT)	41 412	60 099	58 154	51 658	27 693	24 625	30 755	24 565	31 209	85 100
Sliač (SLD)	15 909	20 741	4 559	133	0	14 484	27 572	24 165	23 663	35 682
Piešťany (PZY)	5 100	4 274	3 285	657	1 427	539	494	896	1 956	2 030
Žilina (ILZ)	10 973	10 720	12 294	12 395	9 912	6 805	1 712	408	245	888
TOTAL	2 354 854	2 563 424	2 887 756	2 127 321	1 971 796	1 896 383	1 712 297	1 660 277	1 769 448	2 098 460

Cargo handled by year and airport (tons):

	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Bratislava (BTS)	5 054	1 968	6 961	11 903	17 717	20 530	22 577	21 272	19 448	21 098
Košice (KSC)	323	264	457	269	115	86	84	45	82	252
Poprad-Tatry (TAT)	153	176	96	135	176	160	26	193	78	43
Sliač (SLD)	60	49	63	26	0	0	54	64	296	117
Piešťany (PZY)	44	5	1	1	0	0	52	14	16	164
Žilina (ILZ)	8	1	2	7	2	2	1	0	3	1
TOTAL	5 642	2 463	7 580	12 341	18 010	20 778	22 794	21 588	19 923	21 675

Logistics centers

In the present, there is only one logistic center in Dunajska Streda. This is wiht access through intermodal terminal to railways and roads. 56 warehouse centers over Slovakia enquired connected to roads.

Transport and logistics business associations

Association of Logistics and Forwarding of the Slovak Republic.

http://www.zlz.sk/en.html

Railway transport

The state administration of rail infrastructure: The Railways of the Slovak Republic – Železnice Slovenskej republiky – abbreviation ŽSR – www.zsr.sk

In the rail freight transport there is a state company – ZSSK Cargo a.s. – www.zscargo.sk - and over 20 private companies – www.zsr.sk/anglicky/railways-infrastructure/marketing/operators.html?page_ID=1048 .

Slovak republic has relatively thick railway network whit 3436 km tracks, 1435 mm gauge – 44% is electrified. Besides them in Slovakia there are 97 km broad gauge tracks which is to knot through Ukraine to broad gauge rail network. Next 46 km narrow rail tracks used to mainly for touristic and museums reason.

Road transport

Road freight transport is the main inland transport mode in the Slovak Republic, accounting for over 72% of all inland transport activity. The share of road in total inland freight transport has remained fairly stable over the last decade.

Road freight transport in 2014 amounted to:

Transport of goods total (thsd. Tonnes) – 142 622
Transport performance total (mill. tonne - km)- 31 304.

National transport operations carried out by domestically registered vehicles account for about two 90% of all transport activities. The share of international transport operations has increased during the last decade, from 11% of all road freight transport activities in 2004 to 29% in 2014. This is a sign of the increasingly more integrated single market in the EU. 48% of all international transport activities are carried out by vehicles which are registered in the Slovak Republic (import - export transport). The share of cross-trade transport and international cabotage in international road freight transport activities by vehicles which are registered in the Slovak Republic has gone up from 40 to 52 % between 2004 and 2014 (see also Figure 2).

The road haulage market in the Slovakia comprises around 6.800 predominantly small enterprises (except of transport on own account), with an average size of five employees per company. This number has been stable over recent years with 80% of companies counting less than 10 employees, whereas 99% have less than 50 employees.

In 2014, the stock of vehicles in the Slovakia level continued to increase to around 41.100 vehicles, a trend which persists since 2004.

Figure 1-Road freight transport

Figure 2- International road freight transport

Border crossing

Hauliers who make international journeys for hire or reward within the European Union (EU) must hold a Community Licence and a Standard International Operator’s Licence.

The Slovak Republic has agreements with several non-EU countries, which allow hauliers to travel to or through those countries as long as they hold a permit for the country with which the bilateral agreement has been made.

Currently, bilateral permits are required for journeys to or through: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Moldova, Morocco, the Russian Federation, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine.

In addition to Community Licences and bilateral permits, hauliers can get permits to cross into other countries by using the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) multilateral permit scheme for journeys between its member countries.

Customs transit options when moving goods across the EU

All goods moved within the EU have a customs status of either Union or non-Union goods.

Union transit (UT) is a customs procedure used to help the movement of non-Union status goods between 2 points in the customs territory of the EU.

Customs duties and other charges are suspended on non-Union status goods whilst they’re under a customs transit procedure (T1 Status). Movements of Union status goods to or via the Common transit countries travel under Common transit (T2 Status).

Non-Union goods

Non-Union goods are goods not in free circulation in the EU. Such goods can be moved between 2 points in the EU using a transit procedure. Transports Internationaux Routiers (TIR), or International Road Transport, is only used for the movement of goods by road in secure/approved vehicles or containers, and under cover of a TIR Carnet.

Web-pages:

• Competent authority in charge of T and TIR regimes : Financial Administration, Mierova 23, 81511 Bratislava, www.financnasprava.sk,
• State Veterinary and Food Administration, www.svps.sk;
• Presidium of the Police Force, prezid@minv.sk;
• Bureau of International Police Cooperation, umps.ppz@minv.sk

Border crossing

BORDER CROSSING POINT AT BORDER WITH UKRAINE:

Vyšné Nemecké – Užhorod - for passenger and freight traffic without exemptions,

Ubľa - Malyj Bereznyj - for passenger traffic (including busses) and freight traffic with total weight of vehicle up to 3,5 tones.

Ministry of transport of the country

Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development of the Slovak Republic

Web-page: http://www.telecom.gov.sk/index/index.php

Slovak Embassy in the People´s Republic of China

Address: Ritan Lu, Jianguomen Wai, 100 600, Peking, People´s Republic of China

Tel.: +86 1065321530, +86 1065321531
Fax: +86 1065324814
Mobil: +86 13911792084
Email: emb.beijing@mzv.sk
Web-page: http://www.mzv.sk/web/peking