diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/replication/regionserver/HBaseInterClusterReplicationEndpoint.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/replication/regionserver/HBaseInterClusterReplicationEndpoint.java
index d51d512471e..70cc4204248 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/replication/regionserver/HBaseInterClusterReplicationEndpoint.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/replication/regionserver/HBaseInterClusterReplicationEndpoint.java
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ import java.util.concurrent.CompletionService;
 import java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;
 import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorCompletionService;
 import java.util.concurrent.Future;
-import java.util.concurrent.SynchronousQueue;
+import java.util.concurrent.LinkedBlockingQueue;
 import java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 
@@ -113,8 +113,9 @@ public class HBaseInterClusterReplicationEndpoint extends HBaseReplicationEndpoi
     // per sink thread pool
     this.maxThreads = this.conf.getInt(HConstants.REPLICATION_SOURCE_MAXTHREADS_KEY,
       HConstants.REPLICATION_SOURCE_MAXTHREADS_DEFAULT);
-    this.exec = new ThreadPoolExecutor(1, maxThreads, 60, TimeUnit.SECONDS,
-        new SynchronousQueue<Runnable>());
+    this.exec = new ThreadPoolExecutor(maxThreads, maxThreads, 60, TimeUnit.SECONDS,
+        new LinkedBlockingQueue<Runnable>());
+    this.exec.allowCoreThreadTimeOut(true);
 
     this.replicationBulkLoadDataEnabled =
         conf.getBoolean(HConstants.REPLICATION_BULKLOAD_ENABLE_KEY,