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Ukraine wants to start work on deepening the Danube shipping channel as early as this year to expand its alternative routes for exporting grain, Deputy Minister of Renewal and Infrastructure Yuriy Vaskov said on Tuesday.
Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia last year, has already increased the depth of its Bystre Canal on the Danube River from 3.9 meters to 6.5 meters, with the aim of increasing food exports from its river ports.
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Pressure for alternative export routes became urgent during the war after Russia blocked Ukraine's traditional export route through the Black Sea and only a limited volume is shipped under an agreement brokered by Turkey and the United Nations.
Vaskov told a grain conference on Tuesday that the new depth of the Bystre Canal allowed ships to stop at Ukrainian Danube ports, but that it was still not enough for loaded ships that need to use Romania's Sulina Canal, which is more deep.
He said Ukraine would like to extend the depth to 7.2 meters, similar to the Romanian canal, and intends to hold talks with European Union officials on the issue in the near future.
Romania said it was concerned that any work on the waterway through the shared Danube Delta area could threaten wildlife at the UNESCO World Heritage Site and breach international environmental protection treaties.
Ukraine has been transporting grain through the Bystre Canal while developing alternative routes for its exports.
A quarter of Ukraine's agricultural exports currently pass through Danube ports, while half leave via Black Sea ports and another quarter cross Ukraine's western land border.
Source: Seane Lennon | agrolink
