Skorokhod Alleged “Fees” up to 50 Thousand Dollars for Ship Queue on the Danube: Hursky Denies Accusations

Skorokhod alleged “fees” up to 50 thousand dollars for ship queue on the Danube: Hursky denies accusations

In early September, Member of Parliament Hanna Skorokhod claimed there were alleged unofficial payments for the order of ships passing along the Danube and possible problems in the certification of seafarers. After that, the government opened a disciplinary proceeding against the head of the Shipping Administration, Serhiy Hursky, and suspended him pending the investigation.

This is reported in a StopKor piece.

Why does this matter for the Ukrainian economy?

The Danube ports Izmail, Reni, and Ust-Dunaysk are so-called “backup gates” for Ukrainian exports when the Black Sea route is under heavy attack. In 2025, according to RAIL.insider, they handled over 8,9 million tons of cargo. And in the summer of 2026, as Bessarabia Inform writes, record shallowing of the Danube already pushed freight costs on the route to Constanța up by 3–7 dollars per ton.

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Skorokhod alleged “fees” up to 50 thousand dollars for ship queue on the Danube: Hursky denies accusations

All of this happens under constant fire: according to government data cited by Agropolit, since the start of the invasion 1173 port infrastructure facilities and 274 civilian vessels have been damaged or partially destroyed. If the unofficial “fees” that Hanna Skorokhod writes about do exist, they increase the price of Ukrainian grain. If her claims are not confirmed — baseless accusations could undermine shipowners’ and insurers’ trust in the state.

In either case, the public has a right to know the truth. The same applies to seafarers’ documents: tens of thousands of Ukrainians working in foreign fleets depend on them.

What the MP claims

As TSN reports, Skorokhod publicly claimed there were alleged unofficial payments for the order of ships on the Danube that, during Hursky’s tenure, she says rose to 30–50 thousand dollars per slot, and also that certification for seafarers became pricier by 3–5 thousand dollars. According to the MP, such price increases could be explained by (quote) “Hursky needing to provide for his muse for Instagram.”

She separately questioned Hursky’s official trips to Poland. The MP wrote that she has evidence, but it has not been made public.

What Hursky and the government respond

Serhiy Hursky himself, in a video address published on the official channel of the Shipping Administration, categorically rejected the accusations and said he requested to be suspended pending the investigation.

“Let’s start with the main point: the Shipping Administration does not issue permits for cargo handling operations in seaports, nor does it in any way regulate the entry of ships to/from Ukrainian ports. That is the responsibility of other state bodies and business entities that are not subordinate to the Shipping Administration. The Shipping Administration does not manage their commercial activities or set the rules for carrying out their operations. If someone has concrete evidence of extortion — name the person, position, company, date and place and submit the materials to law enforcement. But do not attribute to the Shipping Administration powers it does not have,” Hursky said.

He added that the information spread by Hanna Skorokhod allegedly (quote) “does not correspond to the facts and creates a distorted picture of the situation.”

The Ministry of Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport reported that the disciplinary proceeding against Hursky is being conducted by the Commission on the Higher Civil Service Corps, results are due by 23 October, acting head of the Shipping Administration duties are being carried out by Serhiy Maksymov, and the agency has appealed to law enforcement. At the same time, the ministry emphasized that the existence of a proceeding is not a final judgment of the official’s guilt.

Skorokhod alleged “fees” up to 50 thousand dollars for ship queue on the Danube: Hursky denies accusations

Market argument: the Sulina bottleneck

The main counterargument some market experts raise against Hanna Skorokhod’s claims concerns the powers of the Shipping Administration.

As RBC-Ukraine writes, the Sulina Channel is managed by the Romanian administration AFDJ, and the Ukrainian portion of lists is formed by the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (AMPU) with confirmations from ports and agents; throughput capacity is divided 40/40/20 among Ukraine, Romania and Moldova. Dmytro Barinov, president of Ukrport, asserts that the Shipping Administration does not influence the queue, and the problem is purely physical: the channel allows about six ships per day, while ports are ready to accept 16.

Skorokhod alleged “fees” up to 50 thousand dollars for ship queue on the Danube: Hursky denies accusations

At the same time, as OBOZ.UA recalls, AMPU itself warned about offers to “speed up” transit through Sulina that it considers fraudulent. But the question remains: who exactly makes such offers and has anyone investigated them?

Skorokhod alleged “fees” up to 50 thousand dollars for ship queue on the Danube: Hursky denies accusations

Seafarers’ documents: everyone acknowledges the problems

This issue is not new. In 2023 the National Agency on Corruption Prevention publicly warned against the return of corrupt practices in seafarers’ certification, and journalists wrote about a possible paralysis of the certification system after the adoption of decree No.1499.

Skorokhod alleged “fees” up to 50 thousand dollars for ship queue on the Danube: Hursky denies accusations

The Maritime Transport Workers’ Union calls to refrain from speaking about systemic corruption until the checks are complete, but does not deny the problem, Agropolit reports.

In comments to RBC-Ukraine, crewing companies name the queue in Warsaw as one of the main problems, and representatives of the NGO Together Against Corruption say the police clearance, which through intermediaries cost about 10 thousand hryvnias and which, they say, was canceled only in August.

Skorokhod alleged “fees” up to 50 thousand dollars for ship queue on the Danube: Hursky denies accusations

Are the “prices” voiced by Hanna Skorokhod a new phenomenon or a remnant of an old system? Only competent bodies can answer after their investigation.

Context that cannot be ignored

First, what is known about MP Hanna Skorokhod herself? As RBC-Ukraine notes, in December of 2025 NABU and SAP informed her of suspicion in a case about alleged “sale” of RNBO sanctions for 250 thousand dollars, and in June of 2026 the investigation was completed.

The MP denies guilt.

Second, it is notable that three of the four key publications defending Hursky were published in 25 September and essentially reproduce the same text: Agropolit directly refers to RBC-Ukraine, OBOZ.UA quotes fragments of the same article verbatim. The RBC piece calls the MP’s statements “information mining” and hints that the conflict and destabilization of port operations coincide with possible Russian interests. No comment from Hanna Skorokhod is included.

Skorokhod alleged “fees” up to 50 thousand dollars for ship queue on the Danube: Hursky denies accusations

Third, the Danube route has long been a risk area. StopKor already investigated in 2019 the sell-off of the Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company fleet and the wealth of its then-head Dmytro Chaly, and in 2020 the staffing decisions of the next management. However, UDP is not subordinate to the Shipping Administration, so mechanically transferring those problems to Hursky is incorrect.

What happens next?

By 23 October the Commission on the Higher Civil Service Corps must provide the government with a conclusion about the information voiced by Hanna Skorokhod. In our view, it is important that it be published regardless of the result: if the MP’s assumptions are confirmed — there should be specific accountability, not just a personnel decision; if not — someone must be held responsible for loud public accusations without evidence.