Romania is asking Ukraine to immediately stop dredging operations in Bastro Bay if they do not have the sole purpose of maintaining the waterway, and has asked for emergency access to the area to identify morphological changes that have occurred in the Kilia Arm since 2005. These requests were made during the discussions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania with the Ambassador of Ukraine in Bucharest, who, however, insisted that only repair works are being carried out on the Bastro Canal.

According to the press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Romanian side appealed to the Ukrainian side with a request to clarify as soon as possible the difference in Ukraine’s position regarding the press statements of February 18, according to which the Ukrainian side is only carrying out repair work on the street. of the Danube waterway and, accordingly, the information of the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine published on February 17, according to which the depth of navigation on the Bastro Canal reached 6.5 m (from 3.9 m, as it would have been at the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine ).

The IEA reminds that Romania has requested that in the event of Ukrainian dredging operations (which go beyond the scope of maintenance/maintenance operations) to cease.

“Thus, the IEA advised the Ukrainian side of the need to refrain from any actions aimed at deepening the waterway in the absence of dialogue with Romania and Romania’s direct consent to this.

At the same time, during the meeting, the Romanian side urgently asked for the consent of the Ukrainian side for the access of the Romanian hydrographic vessels of the Lower Danube River Administration to the Ukrainian waters of the Kili branch for the purpose of carrying out measurements of bathymetry, sedimentation and flow along the entire channel of the Kili branch, which forms the border between Romania and Ukraine, with the aim of identifying the morphological changes that have occurred in the Kili branch since 2005,” the press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says.

The ambassador of Ukraine insists that there is no dredging

According to the cited source, the ambassador of Ukraine showed that the Ukrainian side does not carry out dredging works aimed at deepening the waterway, but only operational measures aimed at ensuring shipping to the port of Izmail, its navigation parameters are included in public access. notification of the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian side also noted that the need to ensure shipping on the Kiliyskaya arm and the carrying capacity of the river ports of this state (in particular, the port of Izmail) arose in the context of Russia’s blockade of the Odesa port.

According to the IEA, the Ukrainian side expressed full openness to resuming dialogue at the technical level with the aim of clarifying all elements of interest and establishing cooperation within the framework of this project, taking into account the interests of both sides, including those arising from the need to protect the environment of the Danube Delta. For this purpose, he proposed to organize a technical meeting between the ministries responsible for the field of transport of the two states in the next period.

How the Embassy of Ukraine in Bucharest and the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure contradict each other

On Saturday, the Embassy of Ukraine in Bucharest reported that operational dredging works on the navigable sea channel have been carried out continuously for several years in defined and agreed areas in accordance with the norms of Ukrainian legislation, international agreements and conventions, and are also aimed exclusively at maintaining the waterway.

• ​”All dredging works on the Danube currently carried out by the Ukrainian side, which are carried out exclusively within the state border of Ukraine, have a current operational nature and are aimed exclusively at maintaining the waterway, i.e. ensuring the safety of navigation by preserving the current technical characteristics, as well as eliminating the consequences of natural clog.
• In the event that the Ukrainian side plans to implement large projects different from the current ones, the Romanian side will be informed in advance, and their coordination will take place in accordance with current legislation, international agreements and conventions.
• In the conditions of Russia’s continuous brutal war against Ukraine, we express our gratitude to Romania for its strong solidarity with the Ukrainian people and call for a responsible approach to public information so as not to harm bilateral relations and not fuel Russian propaganda,” the Ukrainian embassy said in a statement. .

The Embassy of Ukraine in Bucharest also claimed that in August 2022, the Ukrainian side informed the Administration of the Lower Danube about the planned works.

The Administration of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (ARBDD) from Tulchi has not received any request for the approval of the project aimed at deepening the shipping channel of the Bastro Canal from Ukraine, the executive director of the institution, Viorika Biske, said. Agerpres.

“For the first time in independent Ukraine, we managed to increase the permitted depth of vessels”

However, on Friday, before the notification from the Ukrainian embassy in Romania, the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine tweeted that the depth of the Bastro channel had increased from 3.9 to 6.5 meters, “a great opportunity for the river power of the Danube”. .

• “For the first time since the independence of Ukraine, the draft of ships passing through the Bastro Canal has increased from 3.9 to 6.5 m.
• This is a great opportunity for the river potential of the Danube and the export turnover of the port.
• We continue to develop the Danube port cluster together with our European partners,” the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine wrote on Twitter on Friday, News.ro reports.
• “Such dynamics and the still existing problems with exports through sea ports make the development of the infrastructure of the Danube region a priority of our work.
• As part of this work and thanks to the successes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the Black Sea, we have already opened the mouth of the Bastro channel for shipping, and increased the transshipment potential of the ports.
• We are also continuing dredging works on the Ukrainian side of the Danube,” said Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov, Perild.com reports.

Agricultural news outlet Agricensus reported, citing trade sources, that deepening the canal linking the Danube River to the Black Sea could improve logistics for Ukraine’s shallow ports and improve flows if the grain corridor agreement collapses.

The depth of the Ukrainian Bastroe canal has been increased by 2.5 meters, reaching 6.5 meters from the beginning to the 77th kilometer and 7 meters from the 77th to the 166th kilometer, where the canal connects to the Kili branch, Agricensus reports with reference to the official note of the Ukrainian Ministry. of infrastructure from February 17.

• “For the first time in independent Ukraine, we managed to increase the permitted depth of ships,” said Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction.
• “Thanks to this, we will be able to provide more efficient and safe navigation between the Black Sea and the Danube River, as well as increase the flow of goods through the Danube ports,” Kubrakov added.

The changes could allow part of the shipping fleet to enter the Black Sea directly through the Bastro Canal from the Ukrainian side and reduce pressure on the Sulin Canal, which is controlled by the Romanian authorities.

Before this change, the shallow depth did not allow fully loaded vessels to pass, but only to turn back empty vessels, according to commercial sources, creating blockages and delays for vessels loaded with grain for export, the newspaper commented.

It is also expected that ships weighing up to 10,000 tons will now be able to pass through the canal, but with this option, the vessel will most likely be loaded only partially, up to approximately 6-7,000 tons, according to the chief. independent maritime transport analysis agency ISM.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) announced on Thursday that it will convey to the European Commission that Romania opposes Ukraine’s intention – which is not new – to carry out dredging work in the Bastro Canal, saying that it has not yet been done. any Romanian institution reported on the deepening of the Bastro canal, which the Ukrainians will now do.