Danube shipping to Ukrainian river ports suspended until Oct. 2, shipper says
Avalon said navigation on the Sulina Canal was suspended on Saturday because of poor weather. It said low water levels could also pose a problem for vessels waiting to depart Ukrainian ports.
KYIV, Sept 28 (Reuters) — Shipping on the Sulina Canal on the Danube, a key route to Ukrainian river ports, was suspended on Saturday due to poor weather and is not expected to reopen until October 2, shipping company Avalon said on Monday. Shipments had been rerouted through Danube river ports after Russian attacks effectively blocked Ukraine's Black Sea ports, which had handled 90% of the country's grain exports. "Navigation on the Danube is not expected to resume until October 2, 2026, at the earliest. In short: winter is coming," said Katerina Kononenko, operations manager of Avalon shipping.
She added that low water levels on the Danube could be a serious problem, especially for vessels already fixed or loaded and waiting to depart from Ukrainian ports. APK-Inform consultancy said earlier on Monday that weekly grain exports from Ukrainian Danube ports declined by almost 29% to 132,200 tons in the week to September 23. It gave no reason for the smaller shipments. com; +380503104993;)