Danube Water Levels Limit Ukrainian Grain Exports Through Constanta

Low water levels on the Danube River are complicating efforts to reroute Ukrainian grain exports through Romania's port of Constanta. The heat and prolonged lack of rainfall have forced barges to operate with reduced loads, cutting transport capacity and increasing grain delivery costs.

The Danube remains a key route for Ukrainian grain exports, but low water levels are exacerbating logistics problems in the Black Sea region. Since the start of the full-scale war, Constanta has become one of the key alternative gateways for Ukrainian agricultural exports. Cargo reaches the port by rail, road, and barges along the Danube.

However, the current low water levels mean more barge trips are required to transport the same volumes of grain, while delivery times and freight rates are increasing. For wheat, sunflower seed, and rapeseed moving down the Danube to Constanta, low water levels mean fewer barge rotations, longer waiting times, and freight rates above seasonal norms.

Constanta itself still has capacity to handle more Ukrainian cargo. Viorel Panait, president of the Constanta Port Business Association and general director of grain terminal operator Comvex, said his terminal could handle around 20% more grain under the EU Solidarity Lanes initiative. However, low Danube water levels are preventing sufficient cargo volumes from reaching the port.