On Board REXDAN: Advancing Science and Sustainable Management of the Danube

The Danube Commission Secretariat was invited aboard the REXDAN, Europe’s newest and most sophisticated freshwater research vessel, which navigates the Danube from Romania to Austria. As part of the EU-funded SUNDANSE project, the „moving campus” contains nine laboratories where researchers are conducting various studies to understand the problems affecting the Danube River and address them by creating maps, developing computer models of sediment movement, or designing a smart plan to manage sediment sustainably.

The visit provided an interesting and in-depth exchange of views on issues high on the agenda of the Danube Commission, such as fairway depth and maintenance, safe navigation, the Joint Statement 2.0, as well as the impact of climate change in the Danube River Basin.

In July 2026, the project will launch its second Open Call to help local and regional authorities move from planning to action with practical, sustainable sediment solutions, for which several DC member and observer states are eligible.