Reuters: About 70 ships carrying Ukrainian grain stuck on the Danube, with only seven ships allowed to pass through per day

In Romania, near the Sulina Canal, which connects the Danube with the Black Sea, approximately 70 ships are waiting to gain access to Ukrainian ports and load grain for export.

Reuters writes about this.

Due to Russian attacks on Black Sea ports, some cargo has been diverted through Danube ports. However, their capacity is much lower. Significant delays are observed due to a shortage of pilots and the fact that other vessels, such as those carrying fuel, are given priority. Port operations are also often suspended due to air raids.

Consulting firm ASAP Agri reported that as of August 25, more than 50 vessels were waiting to pass through the Sulina Canal, while only five to seven vessels were heading to Ukrainian Danube ports each day. Each day of delay costs up to $8 000, adding to already high transportation tariffs.

The operations manager of the shipping company Avalon added that due to the weather, the Sulina Canal may be closed for about two days.

Ukrzaliznytsia noted that the volume of grain transportation to Danube ports in August was 11 times higher than in July. According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, from August 1 to 21, Ukraine exported 539 thousand tons of grain, while for the same period in 2025 this figure was 1.73 million tons.

• The prolonged blockade of ports is creating a large-scale financial crisis for the agricultural sector. According to the ministry, in the 2026-2027 marketing year, Ukraine should export about 64.4 million tons of agricultural products. At the same time, due to prolonged restrictions on the operation of seaports, exports may be reduced by almost half — to about 29.6 million tons.
• As early as October, harvest storage facilities could be fully filled, and by November, more than 9 million tons of grain and oilseeds risk being left without storage facilities.

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