Slovakia's official river shipping company said in April that the Danube blockage due to NATO bombings in Yugoslavia could seriously jeopardise the company's future.
"We can say that a longer duration of a military conflict in Yugoslavia could cause our company serious losses which will fundamentally impact our already tight economic situation," Slovenská Plavba a Prístavy (SPAP) general director Pavol Šesták said in a statement.
Šesták estimated monthly losses due to the destruction of bridges on the Danube in northern Yugoslavia at 20.6 million crowns a month ($0.5 million). The losses were mainly from river transport, as well as from lost revenues from the Slovak river ports in Bratislava and Komárno, the company said.
The statement added that a part of the company's fleet remained cut off from Slovakia, but that all personnel had been successfully evacuated from Yugoslav territory.
A NATO air attack destroyed a bridge in Novy Sad on April 1. Two other bridges in Novy Sad were destroyed by bombings on April 3.
SPAP posted a loss of 15.18 million crowns on revenues of 614.3 million in the first three quarters of 1998. The company operates some 250 river vessels.
