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KYIV: Authorities will begin clearing \u200cvessels bound for Danube ports via the Sulina Canal while they are still in the Black Sea, rather than processing them inside the canal, in an effort to eliminate a two-week queue, shippers said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Most cargo shipments, including grain, have been rerouted through Ukraine\u2019s three Danube river ports after Russian attacks effectively blocked the country\u2019s Black Sea ports, which previously handled 90 percent of exports.<\/p>\n
\u201cBenefits: more \u200cvessels can \u200center the canal during the \u200cday; vessels \u2060are not dependent \u2060on the berths in Sulina; less waiting and fewer unnecessary maneuvers,\u201d said Katerina Kononenko, operations manager of Avalon shipping.<\/p>\n
Dozens of vessels have accumulated in the queue to enter the Sulina Canal because of bureaucratic procedures, a shortage of pilots and a sharp \u2060increase in traffic, with waiting times exceeding \u200ctwo weeks.<\/p>\n
Ukraine is \u200cone of the world\u2019s biggest grain exporters.<\/p>\n
Shippers said this \u200cmonth that congestion and lengthy waits to enter \u200cthe Danube and return to the Black Sea had extended grain delivery times from Ukraine to Egypt, a major importer, to more than a month from 12 \u200cdays, threatening profitability.<\/p>\n
Consultancy ASAP Agri said this week that coaster freight rates for \u2060grain \u2060shipments from Ukraine\u2019s Danube ports had stabilized at about $100 per metric ton for deliveries to Egyptian ports.<\/p>\n
Shipping costs stood at about $105 per ton on September 11, compared with $30 on July 11, when Ukraine\u2019s Black Sea ports were still operating.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian authorities have said the Danube ports could export at least 500,000 tons of grain a month.<\/p>\n
Ukraine has exported about 930,000 tons of grain so far in September, down from 1.78 million tons in the same period of September 2025, official data show.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n