Romania will speed up customs procedures to accommodate around 30 ships coming from Ukraine's Danube ports, recently under Russian bombing, over the next two days, to demonstrate that trade has not stopped, Reuters reported.

The move is aimed to clear a logjam in the aftermath of the Russian attack on Ukraine's main river port at Izmail on August 2.

In May and June, the Lower Danube River Administration authorized a record number of ships coming from Ukraine's inland ports, more than 477 ships per month, according to Florin Uzumtoma, director of the Lower Danube River Administration (AFDJ) Galati.

The river and its mouth, now Ukraine's last waterborne grain export route, are backed up with vessels travelling to and from Ukrainian ports, commercial ship tracking data shows.

Romanian authorities managing the waterway still expect a "peak" in traffic in August, despite the attack.

(Photo:  Lucian Coman | Dreamstime.com)

iulian@romania-insider.com