80 Ships Waiting to Access Danube Ports in Ukraine

The queue of ships waiting to enter the Danube en route to Ukraine's river ports has increased to about 80 in the last five days, although the number of vessels allowed passage through this route is also gradually increasing, according to a logistics operator.

Russian attacks have effectively blocked Ukraine's main Black Sea port facilities, which at one point handled 90% of the country's grain exports, forcing Kyiv to divert cargo through the Danube River stations, which have much smaller capacity.

Maritime agencies reported last week a growing number of ships waiting at the entrance to the Sulina Canal, the only Danube waterway with sufficient draft for vessels heading to the Ukrainian ports of Reni and Izmail from the Black Sea.

Delays have been attributed to a shortage of pilots and the need to prioritize certain cargoes, including fuel shipments.

However, traffic through the canal is starting to improve. While only about five ships entered daily last week, at least seven are expected to enter this Monday.

"As of this morning, we have received pilots for seven vessels. Around noon, we expect more ships to enter the canal, once the pilots disembark from the vessels heading out to the open sea," said Katerina Kononenko of Avalon Shipping.

"In theory, if we manage to allow about 10 ships daily into Sulina, we should be able to clear the queue of about 80 ships," she added.

Kononenko noted that reducing the queue to about 10 ships could take several weeks.

However, an increase in inbound traffic could create bottlenecks in outbound traffic, as a greater number of ships will have to leave the waterway through the canal and undergo mandatory inspections, while the number of inspectors remains limited.

Representatives of the Ukrainian railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia indicated last week that exports via the Danube could increase, although operations continue to be hampered by a shortage of vessels and frequent air raid alerts.

The Odesa region, where Reni and Izmail are located, has recorded 300 air raid alerts since the beginning of August, totaling a combined 238 hours, according to a specialized monitoring service.

Transport workers claim that days can pass without a single grain wagon being unloaded due to the alerts.

Ukrzaliznytsia noted that it can transport 500,000 metric tons of grain per month to Izmail and Reni. Analyst data showed that the volume of grain destined for Danube ports increased by 35% over the week.