Record-Low Danube Water Levels Bring River Navigation to a Standstill (PHOTOS)

The Danube River has reached its lowest level on record since measurements began. In many parts of the Bulgarian stretch of the river, the riverbed has been exposed, revealing the remains of sunken vessels.

The exceptionally low water levels have disrupted navigation and trade, with vessels running aground in the critical sections near Belene, Batin and Zagrazhden.

It is not a desert but the bed of the Danube. Below Prista Nature Park, the river has all but disappeared. Instead of flowing water, there is sand; instead of the sound of passing ships, there is silence.

The striking landscape has become a magnet for photographers, but it is causing growing concern for those whose livelihoods depend on the river.

The 11-member crew of the vessel Sofia has now spent a second week moored alongside one of the pontoons in Ruse, unable to continue its journey.

Captain Boris Fyodorov: "It's a Ukrainian vessel. They are sailing from Serbia to Constanța and they can't get through. The convoy is carrying 9,000 tonnes."

The barges are loaded with wheat, and every day they remain stranded results in significant losses for the shipping operator.

Vyacheslav Negrutsa, Chief Engineer: "We're stuck here. Our wages haven't been paid—they've been withheld because the cargo wasn't delivered on time. Everything is linked in the supply chain, and you know how much fuel prices have risen."

The shallows and newly emerged obstacles in the river are making navigation difficult even for the most experienced captains.

Eng. Ivelin Zanev, Director of the Executive Agency for Exploration and Maintenance of the Danube River (Ruse): "There are vessels aground in the critical sections, but they are outside the navigable channel. When the water level is around 1.3 metres below the low navigable water level, it is simply not possible for vessels to pass with a full load."

The receding river has brought to the surface the remains of ships that sank during World War II or due to overloading.

Ivelin Zanev, Director of the Ruse Port Authority: “ All of them are marked as navigational hazards with floating navigation signs and buoys to protect passing vessels from accidents.”

Captain Boris Fyodorov: "There are old sunken vessels near the Iron Gate lock, and as the water level drops they are emerging. But they are not in the navigable channel — we pass by them."

The forecasts from the Executive Agency for Exploration and Maintenance of the Danube River are not optimistic. Due to the drought, expectations are that the water level will fall by a further 2 centimetres next week.

• The critically low water level of the Danube near Ryahovo has revealed the remains of a mammoth

photos: BTA