The Ukrainian Seaports Authority (USPA) has announced that the Sulina Canal is switching to 24-hour operation, the CFTS portal reports.

According to the announcement, a Ukrainian delegation led by the USPA’s head Oleksii Vostrykov has reached agreements in principle with its Romanian counterparts on the development of merchant shipping in the Lower Danube region.

Ukraine has more than doubled the number of pilots from 16 to 40, the USPA said.

The two sides also reached agreements on the modernization of the Sulina Canal’s infrastructure.

"My Romanian counterparts and I understand the problem involving the exit and the queues at Ismail Chatal Cape. Therefore, we have developed a road map for joint actions, and we expect a significant effect and the absence of lines at the exit soon. The synergy of the two countries’ port authorities, the transparent and comprehensible tools on the market, and the openness of queue formation for ship calls are already bearing fruit. We are seeing major global operators arrive on the market, including the opening of new container terminals," Vostrykov said.