Up to 70 vessels are waiting near the Danube's Sulina Canal for access to Ukrainian ports to load grain for export, traders and analysts said on Wednesday, with a shortage of pilots and priority given to other cargoes creating long delays.After Russian attacks effectively blocked Ukraine's Black Sea ports, which had handled 90% of the country's grain exports
Ukraine will do everything possible to protect its seaports and guarantee grain exports at no less than last season's level,its deputy economy minister, Taras Vysotskiy, told Reuters on Wednesday.Russia has sharply stepped up attacks in recent weeks on Ukrainian Black Sea ports' infrastructure and on cargo vessels entering Odesa ports to export grain and other agricultural goods.
The U.S. Coast Guard has launched a new, easier-to-use online system that allows mariners to submit and track credential applications faster and more securely. The Application Submission and Additional Information Portal, known as ASAP, lets mariners apply for Merchant Mariner Credentials and Medical Certificates, upload documents and monitor application status in one place.