The Sulina branch is a

distributary A distributary, or a distributary channel is a stream channel that branches off and flows a main stream channel. It is the opposite of a ''tributary'', a stream that flows another stream or river. Distributaries are a result of river bifurc ...

of the river

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

that contributes to forming the

Danube Delta The Danube Delta (, ; , ) is the second largest river delta in Europe, after the Volga Delta, and is the best preserved on the continent. Occurring where the Danube, Danube River empties into the Black Sea, most of the Danube Delta lies in Romania ...

. The other two main branches of the Danube are the

Chilia branch The Chilia branch (; ) is one of three main distributary channels of the river Danube that contribute to forming the Danube Delta. Lying at the northernmost area of the delta, the distributary creates a natural border between Romania and Ukra ...

to the north and the

Sfântu Gheorghe branch The Sfântu Gheorghe branch (; ) is a distributary of the river Danube, that contributes in forming the Danube Delta. This is the southernmost branch of the Danube; the other two main branches are the Chilia branch and the Sulina branch Th ...

to the south. The Sulina branch starts at a

bifurcation Bifurcation or bifurcated may refer to: Science and technology * Bifurcation theory, the study of sudden changes in dynamical systems ** Bifurcation, of an incompressible flow, modeled by squeeze mapping the fluid flow * River bifurcation, the for ...

of the Tulcea distributary, at Sfântu Gheorghe, Tulcea, runs east for , and reaches the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

at the port of

Sulina Sulina () is a town and free port in Tulcea County, Northern Dobruja, Romania, at the mouth of the Sulina branch of the Danube. It is the easternmost point of Romania. History During the mid-Byzantine period, Sulina was a small cove, and in th ...

. Its outflow comprises about 20% of the Danube's discharge.

Early history

Until 1857, the Sulina Branch was in its initial state. Its path was long, and sinuous, its width varying between and , and the depth of its

thalweg In geography, hydrography, and fluvial geomorphology, a thalweg or talweg () is the line or curve of lowest elevation within a valley or watercourse. Normally only the horizontal position of the curve is considered (as viewed on a map); the c ...

was between and below the local water level. The

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

guaranteed its importance. From about 1850 to 1900, its importance for shipping grew as it stood at the confluence of European shipping routes. As the Sulina Branch was wide and shallow, between 1858 and 1872

jetties A jetty is a man-made structure that protrudes from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French word ', "thrown", signif ...

were built. They were lengthened, between 1925 and 1932, and again from 1944 to 1956 and 1956 to 1986. The jetties currently reach to from the shore. The

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

was deepened.

The Rostock shipwreck

In September 1991, the Ukrainian-flagged vessel ran aground and sank in the Sulina branch at Mila 31, near Partizani village, partially blocking traffic; the last piece of the wreck of the ship was finally brought to the surface in 2015. In the course of removing the wreck of the Rostock, three divers lost their lives, including John Whitekettle (from the United States) and Anthony James Eke (from England); a memorial dedicated to them was erected on the right bank of the Sulina branch, next to the shipwreck site.

References

Distributaries of the Danube {{Tulcea-geo-stub