Danube Transit to Ukrainian Ports Now Takes 2.5 Times Longer

The duration of voyages via the Danube to and from Ukrainian ports has increased significantly, with some shipments now taking around a month. According to Kateryna Kononenko, Operations Manager at Avalon Shipping, a typical voyage involving the port of Izmail now takes at least 2.5 times longer than before.

One voyage from Izmail to Egypt took 26 days — from the submission of the Notice of Readiness on 19 August to arrival on 14 September. Another vessel operating on the Izmail–Izmir route is expected to complete the full voyage cycle in approximately 28–29 days.

A further voyage from Izmail to Egypt could take 32–33 days. By comparison, the same type of route previously required around 12 days, including waiting time, canal transit, loading operations, departure from the port and the sea passage.

Longer voyage times directly affect fleet turnover. The same vessel can perform significantly fewer voyages over a given period, effectively reducing available tonnage and increasing the real cost of logistics for Ukrainian cargo owners.

The situation may become even more complicated in autumn and winter, when deteriorating weather conditions increase the likelihood of temporary restrictions or closures of the Sulina Canal to navigation.

According to Avalon Shipping, there are currently no clear prerequisites for a rapid and substantial reduction in Danube transit times. A systemic improvement will depend both on increasing the capacity and efficiency of navigation management on the Lower Danube and on the stable, full-scale operation of the Greater Odesa ports.

Comment by the Institute of Danube Research

The Institute of Danube Research notes that the current situation can no longer be assessed solely by the number of vessels waiting to transit the Sulina Canal. The key economic indicator is increasingly the total duration of the voyage cycle — from a vessel’s arrival in the Danube area until its return after completing the shipment.

If a route that previously took around 12 days now requires 26–33 days, the consequences go far beyond additional expenses for a single voyage. Fleet turnover declines across the entire group of vessels serving Ukrainian Danube ports. Consequently, even if the nominal number of vessels remains unchanged, the actual transport capacity of the corridor decreases.

This is particularly important for Ukrainian exports, as a considerable part of the cargo handled by the Danube port cluster consists of bulk commodities for which transportation costs represent a significant share of the final price. Prolonged waiting times are therefore gradually turning from an operational problem into a structural logistics surcharge, directly affecting the competitiveness of Ukrainian cargoes.

In the Institute’s assessment, the solution cannot be limited to increasing the number of vessels passing through the canal each day. What is required is better coordination of the entire logistics cycle — vessel entry and departure, pilotage, border and customs procedures, port operations and the forecasting of weather-related restrictions.

The Danube remains a strategic alternative transport corridor for Ukraine. Its efficiency should therefore be measured not only by cargo volumes, but also by the duration of the complete logistics cycle. Reducing this time is now one of the key conditions for maintaining the competitiveness of Ukraine’s Danube ports.