Historic low Danube flow halts grain barges and commercial traffic at Calafat

Water flow on the Danube entering Romania at Baziaș has dropped to roughly 1,250 m³/s, a level three times lower than normal for September. The reduced current has deposited extensive sand bars, rendering the navigation channel unsafe and halting commercial operations at Calafat’s port in Dolj County. Grain barges cannot reach loading points, leaving about ten loads of cereal stranded, and vessels already loaded are stuck in the middle of the river.

Passenger ships now detour to the port of Severin before returning to Belgrade, and freight movements are scarce. Local farmers warn that the blockage forces them to use costlier land routes, while silos and warehouses are already full, threatening the timely export of the harvest.