Officials change Danube entry procedures to tackle Ukrainian shipping queue

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KYIV, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Authorities will begin clearing vessels 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.    

Most cargo shipments, including grain, have been rerouted through Ukraine's three Danube river ports after Russian attacks effectively blocked the country's Black Sea ports, which previously handled 90% of exports.

"Benefits: more vessels can enter the canal during the day; vessels are not dependent on the berths in Sulina; less waiting and fewer unnecessary manoeuvres," said Katerina Kononenko, operations manager of Avalon shipping.

Dozens of vessels have accumulated in the queue to enter the Sulina Canal because of bureaucratic procedures, a shortage of pilots and a sharp increase in traffic, with waiting times exceeding two weeks. 

Ukraine is one of the world's biggest grain exporters.

Shippers said this month that congestion and lengthy waits to enter the 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 days, threatening profitability.

Consultancy ASAP Agri said this week that coaster freight rates for grain shipments from Ukraine's Danube ports had stabilised at about $100 per metric ton for deliveries to Egyptian ports.

Shipping costs stood at about $105 per ton on September 11, compared with $30 on July 11, when Ukraine's Black Sea ports were still operating.    

Ukrainian authorities have said the Danube ports could export at least 500,000 tons of grain a month.

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.

(Reporting by Pavel PolityukEditing by Mark Potter)