---
title: "The 'Shadow Fee' on the Danube: Loud Accusations Against the Head of the Shipping Administration and the Maritime Industry's Response"
description: "Following public statements about 'shadow fees' on the Danube, the government opened a disciplinary proceeding against the head of AMPU, Serhiy Hurskyi. Industry experts deny the very mechanism of 'selling places' and point to the agency's lack of such authority."
date: 2026-09-25T06:02:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/shadow-fee-on-the-danube-accusations-against-shipping-administration-head
tags: [ukraine, maritime-administration, danube, ports, corruption-allegations, logistics, export, sulina-channel]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# The 'Shadow Fee' on the Danube: Loud Accusations Against the Head of the Shipping Administration and the Maritime Industry's Response

![Head of the Danube Shipping Administration at a meeting over shadow-management allegations](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/25/kampaniya-protiv-administratsii-sudnoplavstva-tenevaya-stavka-na-dunae/kampaniya-protiv-administratsii-sudnoplavstva-tenevaya-stavka-na-dunae-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The government opened a disciplinary proceeding against the head of AMPU, Serhiy Hurskyi, following public statements about alleged corruption schemes, and temporarily suspended him from his duties
- The key accusation is a 'shadow fee' of 30,000–50,000 dollars for a ship's place in the queue at the Sulina Channel
- Dmytro Barinov, President of the 'Ukrport' Ports Association, stated that AMPU has no authority to influence the queue and called the accusations 'complete nonsense'
- The queue-formation mechanism on the Danube is strictly regulated: 40% of passages — Ukrainian ports, 40% — Romanian, 20% — the Moldovan direction
- AMPU warned that offers of an 'out-of-turn passage' through Sulina may be a fraudulent scheme

An information campaign is unfolding around the strategic regulator of Ukraine's maritime sector, one that has already escalated into a disciplinary proceeding. Following public statements by People's Deputy Anna Skokhokh about alleged corruption schemes within the Shipping Administration (AMPU), the government opened a disciplinary proceeding against the head of the agency, Serhiy Hurskyi, and temporarily suspended him from his duties. The Ministry of Recovery, Infrastructure and Transport emphasizes that the decision to open the proceeding is not a finding of guilt; rather, it is based on information about possible violations that must be examined within the procedure. The case is still far from a legal conclusion, yet the informational turbulence around the regulator — the body responsible for organizing shipping and export logistics — is already creating additional risks for shipowners, insurers and investors, at a time when the country is trying to hold onto its foreign-currency earnings amid strikes on port infrastructure.

### The 'Shadow Fee': What Exactly Is Being Claimed

The loudest claim in the public campaign is an alleged 'shadow fee' of tens of thousands of dollars for a ship's place in the queue to pass through the Sulina Channel. According to the claims made in the campaign against AMPU, the sums in question are 30,000–50,000 dollars per 'place' in the list. The public sphere has also seen complaints concerning the processing of seafarers' documents and the organization of official business trips. However, as the agency itself notes, before assessing these claims one must answer a simple question: who actually has the authority to influence the formation of the ship queue on the Danube, and whether there is any room in the established mechanism for 'selling places.'

### How the Queue on the Danube Is Actually Formed

The Sulina Channel is managed by Romania's Administrația Fluvială a Dunării de Jos (AFDJ), which provides pilotage and ship servicing. The Ukrainian side, in the form of AMPU, compiles information on ship movements on the basis of confirmations from ports, operators and maritime agents, consolidates it and passes it to the Romanian side. The main factor in forming the queue is the date on which the ship is confirmed for handling by the administration of the relevant seaport. In addition, throughput allocation rules apply: 40% of available passages go to Ukrainian ports, 40% to Romanian ports and 20% to the Moldovan direction. AMPU also separately warned that offering to organize an out-of-turn passage of ships through the Sulina Channel is not provided for in the established procedure, and that such offers may constitute a fraudulent scheme. In the event they are received, the agency advises reporting to the police.

### Industry Reaction: 'Complete Nonsense'

Dmytro Barinov, President of the Association of Ports of Ukraine 'Ukrport,' who has many years of experience in the maritime sector — he served as First Deputy Head of the maritime administration, Chairman of the supervisory board and Deputy Chairman of AMPU — stated that the Shipping Administration has no authority to influence the order of ships. 'The Shipping Administration does not have such authority,' he emphasized in a comment to RBC-Ukraine, explaining that the order of ships, cargo operations and the organization of events at a specific port fall within a different sphere. According to Barinov, he recently visited the Danube region in person and spoke with market participants. Among the real problems they cited were the insufficient throughput of Sulina, the shallowing of the Danube, issues with Romanian services and certain problems on the Moldovan direction. But no one spoke of 30,000–50,000 dollars for a place in the queue. 'This is complete nonsense. I have never received such information,' Barinov stated. He also pointed to the practical logic: if a port, shipowner or operator were regularly paying tens of thousands of dollars for each event, this would instantly show up in business communications, conflicts, appeals and professional associations. 'The affected business would have reacted instantly,' he added.

### Contradictory Data

There is a fundamental discrepancy between the position of the initiators of the public campaign and the assessment of maritime industry participants. On the one hand, People's Deputy Anna Skokhokh and the public statements linked to her claim the existence of 'shadow fees' of tens of thousands of dollars for a ship's place in the Danube queue, as well as corruption schemes in the processing of seafarers' documents and official business trips. On the other hand, Dmytro Barinov, President of the Association of Ports of Ukraine 'Ukrport,' categorically denies the very possibility of such a mechanism, pointing out that AMPU does not have the corresponding authority and that the industry is unaware of any such payments. AMPU, for its part, confirms that the queue-formation mechanism is strictly regulated and depends on the port confirmation date, not on the regulator's decisions. At the same time, the real problems of Danube logistics — the insufficient throughput of Sulina, the shallowing of the river, issues of interaction with Romanian services — are acknowledged by all parties. Thus, the fact of the disciplinary proceeding and the temporary suspension of Hurskyi is confirmed, however the key accusations of 'selling places' are, at this point, not supported by evidence and are disputed by the industry.

### Risks for Ports, Exports and Investors

Regardless of the outcome of the disciplinary proceeding, the information campaign around the strategic regulator of the maritime sector carries practical risks. In conditions where Ukraine is trying to hold onto export flows amid strikes on port infrastructure, any turbulence around AMPU may affect the confidence of shipowners, insurance companies and logistics operators. Uncertainty in the leadership of the regulator, public accusations of corruption — even unverified ones — can slow down the making of operational decisions on organizing shipping, coordinating with the Romanian side and working with international partners. For ports and exports this means an additional factor of instability in an already complex operational environment. Market participants, according to Barinov, are focused on solving specific tasks: increasing the throughput of Sulina, combating shallowing, and improving interaction with Romanian services. Informational noise in these conditions only complicates the working agenda.

### What Comes Next: Disciplinary Proceeding and Legal Framework

A disciplinary proceeding against Serhiy Hurskyi has been opened, and he has been temporarily suspended from his duties. The Ministry of Recovery, Infrastructure and Transport emphasizes that this is not a finding of guilt, but a procedure for examining information about possible violations. The case is still far from a legal conclusion, and final conclusions will be drawn based on the results of the investigation. For the industry, the key question remains: will the continuity of AMPU's work be ensured during the transition period, and will personnel changes affect the operational processes of coordinating shipping on the Danube and in seaports. AMPU continues to function and transmit data to the Romanian side, however the public uncertainty around the agency remains a factor that market participants and investors will take into account in their decisions until the case receives a final legal status.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Campaign Against the Shipping Administration: Who Is Undermining Trust in the Ports and What This Threatens for Exports](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/kampaniya-proti-administratsiyi-sudnoplavstva-1790259621.html) - Факт открытия дисциплинарного производства и временного отстранения Гурского подтверждён заявлением Министерства. Ключевое обвинение о «теневых ставках» 30–50 тыс. долларов оспаривается президентом Ассоциации портов «Укрпорт» Д. Бариновым, который указывает на отсутствие у АМПУ соответствующих полномочий. Механизм формирования очереди на Дунае описан АМПУ и не противоречит заявленной модели распределения (40/40/20).

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What happened to the head of the Shipping Administration, Serhiy Hurskyi?
**A:** Following public statements by People's Deputy Anna Skokhokh about alleged corruption schemes, the government opened a disciplinary proceeding against Serhiy Hurskyi and temporarily suspended him from his duties. The Ministry of Recovery, Infrastructure and Transport emphasizes that this is not a finding of guilt, but an examination procedure.

### Q: What is the 'shadow fee' on the Danube and has this accusation been confirmed?
**A:** The 'shadow fee' refers to an alleged payment of 30,000–50,000 dollars for a ship's place in the queue to pass through the Sulina Channel. This accusation has not been confirmed: Dmytro Barinov, President of the 'Ukrport' Ports Association, stated that AMPU has no authority to influence the queue, and the industry is unaware of any such payments. AMPU explains that the queue is formed on the basis of the port confirmation date and a strict allocation of throughput.

### Q: How is the ship queue at the Sulina Channel formed?
**A:** The Sulina Channel is managed by Romania's AFDJ. AMPU compiles information on ship movements on the basis of confirmations from ports, operators and maritime agents and passes it to the Romanian side. The main factor in the queue is the date on which the ship is confirmed for handling by the port administration. Throughput is allocated as follows: 40% — Ukrainian ports, 40% — Romanian, 20% — the Moldovan direction.

### Q: What real problems exist in Danube logistics?
**A:** Market participants cite the insufficient throughput of Sulina, the shallowing of the Danube, issues of interaction with Romanian services and certain problems on the Moldovan direction. AMPU also warns that offers of an 'out-of-turn passage' through Sulina are not provided for in the procedure and may be a fraudulent scheme.

### Q: What risks does this situation create for ports and exports?
**A:** Informational turbulence around the strategic regulator of the maritime sector may affect the confidence of shipowners, insurers and investors. In conditions where Ukraine is holding onto exports amid strikes on port infrastructure, uncertainty in AMPU's leadership adds a factor of instability. Market participants are focused on solving specific operational tasks, and informational noise complicates the working agenda.