Danube queue for Ukrainian ports grows to 80 vessels, shipper says

The queue of vessels waiting to enter the Danube en route to Ukraine's river ports has grown to about 80 over the past five days, ‌although the number of ships being allowed through the route is also gradually increasing, a shipper said on Monday.

Russian attacks have effectively blocked Ukraine's main Black Sea ports, which once handled 90% of the country's grain exports, forcing Kyiv to divert cargo through Danube river ports with ‌far lower capacity. Shipping agencies last week reported a growing backlog at the entrance to the Sulina Canal, the only Danube ‌channel deep enough for vessels travelling to Ukraine's ports of Reni and Izmail from the Black Sea.

Delays have been attributed to a shortage of pilots and the need to prioritise certain cargoes, including fuel shipments. However, traffic through the canal is starting to improve. While only about five vessels a day were entering last ⁠week, at least ​seven are expected to enter ⁠on Monday.

"Since this morning, we have received pilots for seven vessels. Around noon, we expect more vessels to enter the canal, after pilots leave vessels which will ⁠head out to the open sea," said Katerina Kononenko from Avalon Shipping. "In theory, if we can move around 10 vessels into Sulina per day, ​we should be able to clear the queue of about 80 vessels," she added.

Kononenko said it could take several weeks ⁠to reduce the queue to around 10 vessels. However, a rise in inbound traffic could create bottlenecks on departures, as more vessels will need to exit through the canal ⁠and ​undergo mandatory inspections, while the number of inspectors remains limited.

MORE SHIPMENTS Officials at Ukrainian railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia said last week that exports via the Danube could increase, although operations continue to be hampered by vessel shortages and frequent air-raid alerts.

The Odesa region, home to ⁠Reni and Izmail, has recorded 300 air-raid alerts since the start of August, lasting a combined 238 hours, according to a specialist ⁠monitoring service. Transport workers say entire ⁠days can pass without a single grain wagon being unloaded because of the alerts.

Ukrzaliznytsia said it can transport 500,000 metric tons of grain a month to Izmail and Reni. Analyst data showed ‌the volume of grain heading ‌to Danube ports rose 35% over the week.