Logistics remains one of the most difficult problems for Ukrainian exporters of processed grain products since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, said Rodion Rybchynskyi, Director of the PU “Millers of Ukraine” Rodion Rybchynskyi at the Baltic Grains & Oils Conference in Riga on April 16.
“The commonwealth routes, i.e. the open routes provided by European countries to their railways, including here to the Baltic ports and to Polish ports, helped us a lot. But this still does not allow us to fully compensate for the losses we have suffered since the beginning of the war,” APK-Inform news agency quoted him as saying.
According to him, there is a possibility to ship products to the port of Constanta via the Danube, but there are still military risks, insurance companies assess these risks as high, and the cost of logistics remains significant.
“The Baltic ports are interesting, on the one hand, because they have direct container lines and the possibility of shipping to North America, South Asia, and so on. But this is a very large circle for the goods to get there… In fact, we see that compared to 2021, only the port of Ventspils transshipped slightly more Ukrainian products, while all other ports have decreased. For example, the port of Klaipeda actually halved its transshipment volumes in 2023,” Rybczynski said.
At the same time, Polish ports have significantly increased transshipment volumes of Ukrainian products, in particular grain products.
According to Rybczynski, Baltic ports remain important alternative routes for exports from Ukraine. The main advantages include access to Northern and Western Europe, delivery times, climate stability, modern infrastructure, less congestion and, most importantly, safe navigation. The disadvantages include logistics costs that are 2-3 times higher compared to the Danube ports, higher cargo handling costs, and railroad bottlenecks.
