Danube ports handled over 3 million tons of freight in May 2023, setting an absolute record for ports in the Danube region.
The Ukrainian Seaports Authority (USPA) announced this in a statement, the CFTS portal reports.
"The development of the Danube cluster is one of our company’s priority tasks. Major global companies are already investing in the development of port facilities and vessels on the Danube, which allows us to increase the volumes of export and import of products constantly. State and private stevedoring companies broke their historical records this month," the company’s head Yurii Lytvyn said.
In addition, according to the USPA, the development of the Danube cluster of ports is a priority for European partners: the European Commission and the Danube Commission, in cooperation with the Lower Danube Administration and the Romanian Ministry of Transport, are working to increase the throughput capacity of the Sulina Canal because the productive operation of the ports in the Danube region also depends on this.
As reported earlier, Ukraine intends to begin dredging the River Danube’s Bystre Estuary to a depth of 7.2 meters in 2023. In this context, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Development of Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure Yurii Vaskov said, "We (Ukraine) should have similar logistical conditions and technical characteristics for navigation on the Danube as our Romanian partners." Earlier, Ukraine restored the Ukrainian section of the River Danube to the declared water depths and the declared draft of 6.5 meters. This made it possible for Danube ports to reach a record 12 ship calls and 90,000 tons of freight per day at the beginning of March. The average daily number had reached 16 by the end of the month.
