In January-August 2024, Ukrzaliznytsia JSC (UZ) increased its cargo transportation by 24.3% compared to the same period last year, to 118.04 million tons, according to an analytical note prepared for a meeting of the Exporters’ Office on Wednesday.
The volume of cargo transportation in August 2024 increased by 15.5% compared to the same period in 2023 (1.9 million tons), amounting to 14.18 million tons, which is 4.2% more than in July 2024.
“Massive missile attacks have significantly affected the state of the energy sector, certain industries, and transport infrastructure, which affects the dynamics of cargo transportation,” the analytical note says.
The volume of export transportation in January-August increased by 65.8% to 57.74 million tons. According to the results of eight months of 2024, the share of cargo exports in the total volume of transportation amounted to 49% compared to 37% in the same period of 2023.
In August 2024, the volume of cargo transportation for export amounted to 6.58 million tons, which is 2.8% more than in July 2024. At the same time, compared to August 2023, when 3.3 million tons were exported, the volume of cargo transportation for export doubled.
The volume of exports through land crossings in January-August decreased by 6.9% year-on-year to 21.31 million tons. As of August 2024, the volume of cargo exports via land crossings amounted to 2.5 million tons, which is 2.4% less compared to July 2024.
In January-August, the volume of cargo exports via ports increased 3.1 times to 36.42 million tons. As of August 2024, the volume of cargo exports to ports amounted to 3.9 million tons, which is 6.5% more than in July 2024.
In January-August, 92.3% of all rail transportation to ports was accounted for by the ports of Greater Odesa, and 7.7% by the Danube ports.
Grain remains the leader in exported cargo, with a volume of 2.63 million tons in August, accounting for 40.1% of the total. Iron and manganese ore came in second place at 2.32 million tons (35.3%), followed by ferrous metals at 0.57 million tons (8.6%). Construction materials accounted for 0.48 million tons (7.2%), ranking fourth in total cargo exports in August, the company said.
“The metallurgical and agricultural sectors retain the status of the basis of Ukrainian exports in the current environment. Sea routes remain the main channel for supplying Ukrainian goods to foreign markets,” the note says.
Earlier, Yevhen Lyashchenko, Chairman of the Board of Ukrzaliznytsia JSC, said that the company suffered losses of UAH 600-700 million in July-August and expects a small loss by the end of 2024, despite profitable operations in the first half of the year. According to him, this was due to the lack of profitable cargoes that provide a safety margin.
