site.btaHistorically Low Danube Levels Disrupt River Shipping, Bulgarian Maritime Administration Warns

Water levels in the Danube are at historic lows, and the current situation is one of force majeure, unprecedented in recent decades. It is a severe blow to shipping, which has virtually ground to a halt, Ivan Zhekov, Director of River Supervision - Ruse at the Maritime Administration Executive Agency, told BTA.

Ivelin Zanev, Executive Director of the Executive Agency for the Exploration and Maintenance of the Danube River, commented that the prolonged drought and hot weather in Europe are causing persistently low water levels along the entire length of the Danube. This year has been marked not only by low water levels, but also by their remaining below the minimum navigable level for an extended period, he added.

Data from the Maintenance Agency indicate that the water level of the Danube at Ruse continues to fall, it has now reached minus 87 centimetres below the reference zero level and is two centimetres lower than on Wednesday. The flow rate is 1,773 cubic metres per second. Zanev said a period of lower river levels is yet to come, which is usually observed between late August and September.

"Personally, I have never heard of such low levels over the years. There has certainly not been a similar situation since 1990," Zhekov commented.

Zanev pointed out that, to ensure safe navigation, the Agency is carrying out maintenance dredging in critical sections, altering the fairway route where necessary, and continuing to replace navigational buoys. Zhekov, however, voiced concern that many skippers are not sufficiently prepared to navigate at such low water levels and in shallow waters. They often fail to check in advance the latest information on changes in the fairway's depth. There have been instances of skippers ignoring warnings and prohibitions and attempting to pass through critical sections, he added.

Low water levels have already led to incidents on the river, as a passenger ship ran aground near Vidin on Tuesday. The Viking Ullur, sailing under the Swiss flag, was carrying 186 passengers, all EU nationals, and a crew of 52 people. The ship's agent arranged for another cruise vessel, to which the passengers were transferred.

The Romanian ferry operator on the route between the village of Aydemir and the Romanian port of Chiciu has suspended services due to the critically low water level of the Danube. The connection between the two banks continues to be maintained by the Bulgarian ferry, the owner of the Bulgarian port operator Vladimir Rashkov told BTA. He said that the transport of passengers and vehicles has not been interrupted, but the situation is being monitored daily as the river level continues to fall.