Coaster freight rates from Ukrainian Danube river ports edged higher over the past week as delays at Sulina Canal increased further, ASAP Agri consultancy said on Monday.
Ukrainian grain shipments have been redirected to lower-capacity Danube river terminals after seaports, which previously handled 90 per cent of grain exports, have been effectively blocked since late July by Russian missile and drone attacks.
Shipping company Avalon said last week the shipping on the Sulina Canal, a key route to Ukrainian river ports, was suspended in late September due to poor weather.
According to Avalon, as of October 5, 80 vessels are expected to enter the Sulina Canal, while around 40 vessels are expected to exit the canal.
ASAP Agri said the canal was reopened on October 3 for outbound traffic only. It said the freight cost for transportation of one ton of Ukrainian corn to Egyptian ports rose to about $105.
"Uncertainty over passage times makes it difficult for owners to plan voyages," it said on social media.
"Owners with vessels already open in the Black Sea or Mediterranean are quoting higher rates for new shipments to account for the risk of prolonged waiting at Sulina," it added.
The APK-Inform consultancy said last week that weekly grain exports from Ukrainian Danube ports declined by almost 29 per cent to 132,200 tonnes in the week to September 23. It gave no more fresh statistics.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Editing by Louise Heavens)
