Romania plans to introduce new rules for vessels passing through the Sulina Canal

The Romanian government is considering the option that one tanker per day will be able to pass through the Sulina Canal.

This was told to USM by one of the market participants.

Thus, from November, only one tanker per day is proposed to be allowed to pass through the Sulina Canal. At the same time, such a decision by the Romanian government may significantly reduce the throughput capacity of the mouth, and accordingly, the impact on logistics will be felt.

At present, the reasons for such a proposal remain undisclosed.

It is also worth mentioning that the supply of petroleum products from the Romanian port of Constanta to Ukraine is currently under threat. That is why market participants emphasize that possible sanctions and a change in logistics will lead to ship downtime and additional costs, which will also be one of the reasons why fuel will become more expensive.

“Given that the Bystre mouth will not be able to provide 7 meters of draft, queues of ships, as well as downtime and an increase in fuel prices are inevitable,” the expert noted.

As a reminder, in September this year, a working meeting of USPA representatives with the European Commission’s delegation on Mobility and Transport (MOVE) and the Danube Commission took place. The parties discussed the operation of the Ukrainian Bystre estuary and the Romanian Sulina Canal, as well as the mechanisms that will be included in the Rapid Response Plan for unforeseen situations, which is currently being developed jointly with the European Commission.

Read also: Fuel supply from the port of Constanta under threat. Will fuel prices increase?