Dredging on the Lower Danube in Romania^*

The river Danube is the second longest river in Europe, with a total length of some 2680 km and a catchment area of 817 000 km². The source of the river lies in the Black Forest in Germany, at the confluence of two smaller streams, the Brigach and the Breg, in Donaueschingen. Navigation is possible between Kelheim in Germany and Sulina in Romania, where the Danube flows into the Black Sea. In Romania, the Danube is 1075 km long, the last 175 km of which (as far as the city of Braila) is navigable for seagoing vessels. This stretch is called the Maritime or Lower Danube (in Romanian: Dunarea de Jos). The seaports of the Lower Danube lying within Romanian territory are Braila, Galati, Tulcea and Sulina. The ports of Reni, Izmail and Kilija are in the Ukraine. Near the city of Tulcea the Danube splits into three branches, known as Kilia, Sulina and Saint Georges. For navigation purposes the Sulina branch or, as it is called today, the Sulina Canal, forms the vital link between the Danube seaports and the Black Sea. The permissible draught of vessels on the Lower Danube is 24 ft (7·32 m). Vessels with a length of 225 m and a breadth of 36 m have found their way to sea after construction at shipyards on the Lower Danube.