Over 70 Ships Await Clearance Near Danube’s Sulina Canal To Load Ukrainian Grain

Russian attacks at Ukrainian Ports in the Black Sea have forced shippers to rely on facilities on the Danube for exporting grain.

However, river ports have a limited capacity, so grain shipments are getting delayed since they have to compete with other cargoes, including fuel.

The situation has worsened due to a lack of pilots and frequent suspension of operations due to air raids in the region. According to reports, 70 ships are stuck near the Sulina Canal, waiting to load grain at Ukrainian Ports.

Ukraine is among the largest exporters of grain in the world and its black sea ports handle 90% of this grain, which now has to be rerouted through coastal ports.

Sulina Channel is witnessing a bottleneck of over 50 vessels, with just 5 to 7 moving towards Ukrainian ports on the Danube every day. An extra day adds up to 8000 dollars to the freight rates, an official said.

The congestion could increase in the coming days as recent weather reports predict two days of rough weather, leading to the closure of the channel.

This is not the first time that Ukraine has depended on the Danube ports. When Russia had once blocked the facilities in the Greater Odesa, Kyiv fell back on coastal facilities. Danube ports handled 2.5 metric tonnes in a single month from 2022 till 2023.

Though the current cargo volumes are below the above-mentioned figures, shipments are increasing slowly and could peak if Russia continues its attacks on Ukraine’s seagoing ports.

Volume of grain shipped via the Danube river ports was 11 times more than in July, according to railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia.

The Sulina Channel is a vital waterway on the eastern part of Romania, and connects the Danube River to the Black Sea. It lies at the mouth of the Danube and is its distributary, spanning 71.7 kilometres. It offers a direct route for ships sailing to and from the river to the open seas.