The queue to enter the Sulina Canal has begun to shorten

The queue of vessels entering the Sulina Canal is decreasing, but the situation with the exit to the Black Sea remains difficult.

This was reported by Avalon Shipping Operations Manager Kateryna Kononenko.

According to her, it is currently difficult to determine what exactly influenced the reduction of the queue: an increase in the channel’s capacity due to the work of pilots and a new procedure for registering vessels in the roadstead, or the reorientation of part of the fleet to alternative routes.

At the same time, some charterers, who already have three to five vessels in the queue and pay demurrage, are in no hurry to conclude new contracts. They cannot predict the completion dates of current voyages and their final cost.

A separate problem remains the exit from the canal. Currently, about 25 vessels are waiting for the opportunity to exit Sulina to the Black Sea.

According to Kononenko, the wait can last about five days. At the same time, demurrage is usually not charged for this period, so the corresponding costs may be included in the freight rate or remain the shipowner’s risk.

Earlier, the Sulina Canal changed the schedule for registration of vessels going to sea: the commission at mile 36 will now start work at 08:00, an hour earlier.