Romania's plans to increase transit of Ukrainian grain across the Danube

Ukrainian grain is becoming a growing problem due to the growing risks to global food trade as a result of Russia's increased attacks in the Black Sea. However, Romania has decided to address this situation and expand one of the key grain transit routes from Ukraine. According to Bloomberg, Romania has already facilitated the transit of more than 20 million tons of grain from Ukraine, which is almost half of all grain shipped through the so-called solidarity lanes since the beginning of the Russian invasion.

In order to help Ukraine ensure the safe transit of grain, Romanian Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu announced plans to open new border crossings between the two countries, increase staff at existing crossings, and recruit pensioners and military pilots to speed up the transit of ships through the Danube canals. However, Romania itself is a major grain exporter, and as a result, it may face the risk of overloading both in ports and on land routes. There are already kilometer-long queues of trucks at the existing border crossings with Ukraine, and dozens of ships are sitting on the Danube, further complicating the situation.

Despite these difficulties, Romania is actively developing infrastructure to facilitate the transportation of Ukrainian grain. Recently, Romania has increased the capacity of the port of Constanta, modernized and reopened the closed railway connection with Ukraine. In addition, the country is working to attract the necessary pilots to guide ships through the Sulina Canal to provide a more efficient route to Ukrainian ports on the river. At the end of May, the Sulinsky port saw record traffic of more than 470 vessels.

Nevertheless, excessive transit could become a problem for Romania. The port of Constanta, which is the main alternative route for Ukrainian grain exports after Russia's withdrawal from the grain deal, will only be able to handle additional cargo until mid-August. In this regard, Romania is focusing on cooperation with Bulgaria, which is also ready to significantly increase the transit of Ukrainian grain through its railroad network. For example, Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov has stated his readiness to help if Greek ports have the appropriate capacity to handle grain.

Ukrainian grain remains an important component of the global food market, and Ukrainian producers are actively looking for ways to ensure uninterrupted transit of their products to global markets. Romania and Bulgaria, for their part, have demonstrated their willingness to assist Ukraine in this complex process by developing strategies to improve and develop grain transportation routes. Increasing the transit of Ukrainian grain across the Danube is just one of the steps Romania and Bulgaria are taking to promote stability and food security in the world.