The queue at Sulina is not getting shorter: ships wait up to 17 days to reach Ukrainian ports

As of September 7, about 80 vessels are waiting at the Sulina Canal roadstead, and the pace of the fleet’s passage to Ukrainian ports remains low.

This was reported by Avalon Shipping Operations Manager Kateryna Kononenko.

According to her, only eight general cargo vessels entered Ukrainian ports through Sulina from September 3 to 6. At this rate, the queue at the roadstead, where about 80 vessels are currently waiting, will not decrease in the near future, Kononenko noted.

Currently, the estimated waiting time for passage to Ukrainian ports is 14-17 days.

For comparison, vessels heading to Moldovan ports wait about 4-7 days, and to Romanian ports – 3-5 days.

Kononenko also provided current data on the maximum safe draft on the Danube routes:

• Sulina – 7.01 m;

• Bystre – 5.5 m;

• Izmail, 44th mile — 6.7 m.

Thus, delays for vessels heading to Ukrainian ports remain several times longer than for the fleet on Romanian and Moldovan routes.

Earlier, USM reported that Ukrainian business loses about $450 thousand daily due to the queue at Sulina.