Up to 70 Ships Queue Off Danube as Bottlenecks Slow Ukraine Grain Exports

Up to 70 vessels are queued near the Danube River's Sulina Canal awaiting passage to Ukraine's river ports, slowed by a shortage of pilots, disruptions from Russian attacks in the Black Sea, and limited canal capacity, according to Reuters 12. Frequent air raid alerts force suspension of all port operations, and the Sulina Channel's real traffic capacity for Ukraine-bound vessels is only two to three per day against more than 50 waiting as of August 25, with delays costing up to $8,000 per vessel per day 2. Ukraine's agriculture ministry reported exports of just 539,000 tons of grain between August 1 and August 21, down from 1.73 million tons over the same period last year, as Black Sea ports that normally handle 90 percent of exports remain blocked and shipments reroute through the Danube 2. Consultancy ASAP Agri warned on August 25 that congestion could worsen if weather conditions deteriorate in coming days 2. Historic summer drought has also lowered Danube water levels, forcing vessels to carry reduced cargo loads through the river's chokepoints 2.