Danube's Water Level in the Bulgarian Section Has Dropped Below Minus 100 cm; Navigation Severely Hampered

The level of the River Danube continues to drop and is now below minus 100 centimetres relative to the reference gauge level. Although no order has yet been issued to suspend navigation along the Bulgarian section of the river, the situation remains extremely challenging.

Shipping operators are deciding individually whether to proceed with planned voyages, with a growing number of vessels suspending operations because of shallow waters. According to forecasts, the low water levels are expected to persist for at least another month.

In the Ruse area, dozens of cargo barges remain stranded while awaiting more favourable navigation conditions. Among them is a Serbian barge carrying coal, where an incident posing a fire risk occurred several days ago as a result of the prolonged delay. The situation was brought under control in time.

A similar situation has developed along the Romanian section of the river, where numerous vessels are also waiting to continue their journeys. Traffic on the Danube has been reduced to a minimum, with mainly smaller vessels still able to navigate the river.

Captain Ivan Zhekov of the Executive Agency for Maritime Administration said navigation along the joint Bulgarian-Romanian stretch of the Danube had been severely affected.

Captain Ivan Zhekov, Executive Agency for Maritime Administration:"Navigation along the joint Bulgarian-Romanian section of the Danube is being hindered by two main factors—low water levels and the significantly narrowed navigable channel. Along the entire stretch from Vidin to Silistra there are 20 critical sections, with the most serious conditions near Belene and Batin. It is there that water levels are at their lowest, making the passage of cargo vessels extremely difficult. Yesterday, only vessels with a draught of 1.30 metres were able to pass through the Belene section. Under such conditions, cargo transport is economically unviable. At present, only around ten cargo vessels are operating between Vidin and Silistra, while cruise ships are not sailing at all because their much deeper draught does not allow safe passage."

He added that the low water levels were already having a significant impact on port operations.

"From the beginning of the season until the end of July, 290 vessel calls were recorded at the Port of Ruse, compared with 345 scheduled arrivals. This means that 55 vessels did not arrive specifically because of the low water levels on the Danube," Captain Zhekov said.

He also reported that a vessel encountered difficulties while passing through the Belene area earlier this morning.

Captain Ivan Zhekov, Executive Agency for Maritime Administration: "Until now, vessels that had run aground were outside the navigable channel and did not obstruct traffic. This morning, however, one vessel experienced difficulties while passing near Belene. It remains to be seen whether it will be able to free itself. If not, support vessels or dredgers will be deployed to excavate the riverbed beneath the hull."

According to experts, the low water levels are expected to persist in the coming weeks, continuing to cause significant disruption to shipping along the Bulgarian section of the Danube.