The importance of the Sulina Channel to Ukraine grain trade

Source: The post is based on the article “The importance of the Sulina Channel to Ukraine grain trade”  published in Indian Express on 17th August 2023.

What is the News?

Sulina Channel has provided Ukraine with an alternative passage for its grain after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea grain deal.

What is the Danube River?

Danube is the second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. 

It flows through much of Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest into the Black Sea.

Near Romania, the river begins to spread out into its delta which has three major channels – Chilia, Sulina and St George.

What is Sulina Channel?

Sulina Channel is a 63 km long distributary of the Danube. It lies completely within the borders of Romania.

Of the three major channels of the Danube river, the Sulina Channel is the only one deep and wide enough for freight transport. 

It is a sort of a riverine ‘expressway’ – crucial for transport of goods from inland to the Black Sea.

How can the Sulina Channel be used for transporting Ukraine grain?

Sulina Channel connects major Ukrainian ports on the river to the Black Sea.

Hence, ships carrying grain from Ukraine leave from Ukrainian ports such as Izmail and Reni on the mainstream (or the Chilia Channel) and head to the port of Sulina, at the mouth of the Sulina Channel.

From there, they head to Constanta, Romania’s biggest seaport. Here the cargo is transferred to bigger ships that carry it out of the Black Sea into the Mediterranean through the Bosphorus straits. This route is under constant surveillance and protection of NATO.