Kainargi (1774), the freedom of navigation on the Danube and the Black Sea, the
Romanian Principalities show an increasing interest in water trading. After over
300 year since the Turkish control of the Danube and the Black Sea, Ena ˘chița ˘
Va ˘ca ˘rescu, a close councilor of the Wallachian ruler Alexandru Moruzi, created the
job of the royal sailors for the transport of Romanian products towards the Ottoman
Empire. The ruler was given by Constantinople the right to build various types of
ships, a right that we had had but lost in the unfavorable circumstances. As a result
of the granting of this right, Alexandru Moruzi issued in November 23, 1793 The
Charter for the Wallachian ships to sail on the Danube, which actually founded the
first Romanian fleet. When the charter was officially due, the Romanian fleet
counted 17 ships, according to the number of Wallachian counties (Urechia
1893). The ruler decided that the ships “all of them, the Romanian ones and others
were supposed to sail every year especially in the benefit of the state” (Urechia
1893).
34.3 The Development of the Romanian Commercial
Maritime Service (Nineteenth Century)
A major stage in the development of navigation on the Black Sea is represented by
the Treaty of Adrianople, signed in 1829. The document sets the international
juridical basis for a new age in the development of Romanian navigation. The
members of the Moldavian Assembly inform on 30 January 1830 count Pavel
Kiselev, who ran the Russian military administration of Wallachia and was the
president the Wallachian and Moldavian Assemblies, that measure would be taken
for building a commercial fleet for the transport of the products of the country
(Toderașcu 1977: 32).
The rulers Alexandru Ghica and Mihail Sturdza make appeals to the High Porte
(the headquarters of the sultan of the Ottoman Empire) for the right to possess a
commercial fleet to sail on the Danube and the Black Sea. In October 1834 sultan
Mehmed II (1808–1839) signed a document approving “for the Wallachian commercial ships a yellow and red flag with stars and a blue bird with a head” (Basarab
1991: 9). For Modavia, the flag had “stars and an ox head, in bright red and purple
culours”. The beginnings were represented by the ship “Marița”, built in the naval
shipyard in Giurgiu through the initiative of Alexandru Vilara. The ship, called after
the wife of Prince George Bibescu, was a brig. On 7 December 1834, loaded with
grain, it left Sulina for Constantinople, the voyage lasting 18 days because of a
storm. The number of ships increased. According to data, the Romanian flag could
be seen on several ships under names, such as “Dochia”, “Wallachia”, “Prince
George Bibescu”, etc.
The French diplomat Felix Calson, secretary of the French Consulate from
Bucharest, appreciated that Moldavia and Wallachia had 20 ships. “Gazette
Piemontese” of March 20, 1851 mentioned “over 100” Romanian ships (Toderașcu
588
V. Ciorbea and N. Stanca
Romanian Principalities show an increasing interest in water trading. After over
300 year since the Turkish control of the Danube and the Black Sea, Ena ˘chița ˘
Va ˘ca ˘rescu, a close councilor of the Wallachian ruler Alexandru Moruzi, created the
job of the royal sailors for the transport of Romanian products towards the Ottoman
Empire. The ruler was given by Constantinople the right to build various types of
ships, a right that we had had but lost in the unfavorable circumstances. As a result
of the granting of this right, Alexandru Moruzi issued in November 23, 1793 The
Charter for the Wallachian ships to sail on the Danube, which actually founded the
first Romanian fleet. When the charter was officially due, the Romanian fleet
counted 17 ships, according to the number of Wallachian counties (Urechia
1893). The ruler decided that the ships “all of them, the Romanian ones and others
were supposed to sail every year especially in the benefit of the state” (Urechia
1893).
34.3 The Development of the Romanian Commercial
Maritime Service (Nineteenth Century)
A major stage in the development of navigation on the Black Sea is represented by
the Treaty of Adrianople, signed in 1829. The document sets the international
juridical basis for a new age in the development of Romanian navigation. The
members of the Moldavian Assembly inform on 30 January 1830 count Pavel
Kiselev, who ran the Russian military administration of Wallachia and was the
president the Wallachian and Moldavian Assemblies, that measure would be taken
for building a commercial fleet for the transport of the products of the country
(Toderașcu 1977: 32).
The rulers Alexandru Ghica and Mihail Sturdza make appeals to the High Porte
(the headquarters of the sultan of the Ottoman Empire) for the right to possess a
commercial fleet to sail on the Danube and the Black Sea. In October 1834 sultan
Mehmed II (1808–1839) signed a document approving “for the Wallachian commercial ships a yellow and red flag with stars and a blue bird with a head” (Basarab
1991: 9). For Modavia, the flag had “stars and an ox head, in bright red and purple
culours”. The beginnings were represented by the ship “Marița”, built in the naval
shipyard in Giurgiu through the initiative of Alexandru Vilara. The ship, called after
the wife of Prince George Bibescu, was a brig. On 7 December 1834, loaded with
grain, it left Sulina for Constantinople, the voyage lasting 18 days because of a
storm. The number of ships increased. According to data, the Romanian flag could
be seen on several ships under names, such as “Dochia”, “Wallachia”, “Prince
George Bibescu”, etc.
The French diplomat Felix Calson, secretary of the French Consulate from
Bucharest, appreciated that Moldavia and Wallachia had 20 ships. “Gazette
Piemontese” of March 20, 1851 mentioned “over 100” Romanian ships (Toderașcu
588
V. Ciorbea and N. Stanca