Record low Danube flow blocks Corabia port and hampers navigation
The Danube’s flow has fallen to a historic low, leaving the tourist port of Corabia clogged with vegetation and preventing vessels from leaving the river.
Measurements by the national hydrology institute show the Danube entering Romania at its lowest recorded flow, making the water surface visibly thin and letting vegetation reach the surface. River users, including captains of Romanian, Austrian and Ukrainian vessels, describe a total blockage at the Corabia tourist port, where barges have been idle for weeks with cargo still on board. The vice-mayor of Corabia said the river level dropped further overnight, while the naval authority confirmed the channel stays technically open.
Downstream, the Calafat commercial port cannot load grain, and cargo ships are stranded mid-river. The low water also pressured the Cernavodă nuclear plant, prompting controlled blasting to raise water by a few centimetres, though flow continues to decline.
Why it matters
The drought-driven low water threatens river transport, local economies and energy supply in the region.
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