Currently, pilotage services for vessels on the Sulina Canal are provided by Romania’s Administrația Fluvială a Dunării de Jos (AFDJ), and the canal itself operates only during daylight hours. This was reported by First Deputy Minister of Recovery, Infrastructure, and Transport Serhiy Derkach, according to Interfax-Ukraine.
According to the source cited, having Romanian pilots work 24/7 could increase the route’s capacity from ports on the Danube to Romania’s deep-water seaports. Ukraine is conducting relevant negotiations with Romania, mediated by the European Commission.
At the same time, discussions are underway with the Romanian side regarding the possibility of training and certifying Ukrainian pilots to work in the Sulina Canal.
The need to increase the capacity of the Danube corridor has become even more urgent against the backdrop of Russian attacks on port infrastructure. Derkach confirmed that Russia has intensified its strikes on Danube ports as well, but Ukraine is taking additional measures to ensure their continued operation.
According to him, over the past month, Danube ports have tripled their cargo transshipment volumes.
Earlier, Logos Press reported that Ukrainian authorities had lifted the “curfew” for vehicles transporting Ukrainian agricultural products to Romanian ports via the territory of the Republic of Moldova.
