Sulina Canal Vessel Queues Grow to Around 125 Ships

Queues of vessels in the Sulina Canal have grown

The situation regarding navigation on the Danube remains tense due to a build-up of vessels at the Sulina Canal. At present, around 95 vessels are queuing in the Sulina roadstead to enter the canal, whilst a further 30 or so are waiting to exit. With daily traffic up and down the Danube at a rate of up to twenty vessels per day, it will take at least 10 days to reduce the queue to a minimum – provided that shipping operations remain stable in November.

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This is reported by USM, citing the opinion of Ekaterina Kononenko, an expert on Danube logistics. Traffic delays on the Sulina Canal place an additional burden on Danube logistics and complicate transport planning, particularly for export consignments of grain and oilseeds via river ports.

One of the main problems remains the restrictions on vessel draught. Although the water level in the Danube is gradually rising, there is as yet no official decision to increase the maximum safe draught for vessels. Currently, the maximum safe draught stands at 7.01 m for the Sulina Canal, 5.3 m at the Bystroye estuary, and 6.7–6.8 m on the stretch from Izmail to the ‘44th mile’. On the route from ‘44th Mile’ via Reni to the port of Galați, the maximum safe draught remains at 6.7 m, whilst between Galați and Brăila it is 6.3 m.

Such restrictions affect the loading capacity of ships and barges, which is particularly important for the transport of large consignments of grain. Where the depth is insufficient, vessels are forced to operate with a partial load, or to take on additional cargo away from the port quays. Either way, this may increase the cost of transporting goods.

This story was translated with the assistance of artificial intelligence.The translation was also reviewed by the Logos Press editorial team.

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