In January-November of this year, Ukraine’s metallurgical enterprises increased their revenues from ferrous metal exports by 18.06% year-on-year to $2 billion 872.572 million.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS) on Monday, ferrous metals accounted for 7.48% of total export revenues during this period, compared to 7.38% in January-November 2023.
In November, revenues from exports of ferrous metals amounted to $207.343 million, while in the previous month – $265.72 million.
At the same time, Ukraine increased imports of similar products by 14.3% to $1 billion 370.375 million in the first eleven months of this year. In November, the country imported products worth $118.267 million.
In addition, in January-November 2024, Ukraine increased exports of metal products by 6% to $871.007 million. In November, they were exported for $71.998 million.
Imports of metal products increased by 16% to $960.596 million over the same period. In November, these products were imported for $75.395 million.
As reported earlier, in 2023, Ukraine’s steelmaking companies reduced revenues from exports of ferrous metals by 41.6% compared to 2022, to $2 billion 647.72 million, with ferrous metals accounting for 7.3% of total revenues from exports of goods in this period, compared to 10.3% in 2022. At the same time, in 2023, Ukraine increased imports of similar products by 37% to $1 billion 307.05 million.
In addition, last year, Ukraine reduced exports of metal products by 16.6% year-on-year to $877.92 million, while imports of metal products increased by 40.3% to $902.57 million.
Since the beginning of the 2024-2025 marketing year and as of December 9, Ukraine has exported 18.981 mln tonnes of grains and pulses, of which 606 tonnes were shipped this month, the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food reported, citing data from the State Customs Service of Ukraine.
According to the report, as of December 13 last year, the total shipments amounted to 14.697 mln tonnes, including 1.6 mln tonnes in December.
In terms of crops, since the beginning of the current season, Ukraine has exported 9.115 million tons of wheat (121 thousand tons in December), 1.866 million tons of barley (4 thousand tons), 10.8 thousand tons of rye (0), and 7.684 million tons of corn (475 thousand tons).
The total export of Ukrainian flour since the beginning of the season as of December 9 is estimated at 33.3 thsd tonnes (1.6 thsd tonnes in December), including 30.5 thsd tonnes of wheat (1.5 thsd tonnes).
According to the expert, about 100,000 tons of fireproof paints, plasters and other products may be needed to restore destroyed real estate.
Research by the Kyiv School of Economics and USAID shows that 90% of the construction materials needed to rebuild Ukraine can be produced locally. At the same time, the director of Kovlar Group, the largest Ukrainian manufacturer of fireproofing materials that produces Ammokote products, said that the total capacity of domestic fireproofing manufacturers far exceeds the expected demand during the reconstruction.
“As of today, fire protection materials worth about UAH 1 billion are needed to rebuild the destroyed facilities,” said Konstantin Kalafat, ”At the same time, the use of locally produced products will not only help develop Ukraine’s construction industry and create new jobs, but will also help investors save a lot of money, as Ukrainian products are much cheaper than imported counterparts.
Established in 2015, Kovlar Group is the largest Ukrainian manufacturer of fire protection products, which occupies about 60% of the Ukrainian fire protection materials market and offers more than 20 products under the Ammokote brand.
Established in 2015, Kovlar Group is the largest Ukrainian manufacturer of fire protection, which occupies about 60% of the Ukrainian fire protection materials market and offers more than 20 products under the Ammokote brand.
Kovlar Group LLC was founded in 2015, its authorized capital is UAH 1.2 million, and its ultimate beneficiaries are Kostiantyn Kalafat (40%), Andrii Ozeychuk (35%), and Liubov Vakhitova (25%). According to the company’s annual reports, in 2023, the company received UAH 42 million 585 thousand in revenue, which is more than four times higher than in 2022; net profit for 2023 was UAH 7.7 million against a net loss of UAH 1.6 million in 2022.
fire protection materials, Kovlar Group, RECONSTRUCTION, Калафат
FlixBus, the largest bus transportation operator in Europe, is launching three additional international routes from Ukraine to Germany ahead of the winter holidays.
According to the operator’s press service on Monday, the flights will be operated in the directions of Ivano-Frankivsk – Berlin, Chernihiv – Cologne, and Odesa – Bremen.
“FlixBus is launching new routes to Germany to help even more Ukrainians reunite with their families during the Christmas and winter holidays. It is estimated that up to 1.65 million Ukrainians live in Germany, for whom these routes create an opportunity to reach their loved ones in a convenient and comfortable way. For many, this is more than just a trip. FlixBus strives to make these meetings more accessible, especially at such an important time of the year,” the operator’s press service said.
The first flight on the route Odesa – Uman – Vinnytsia – Khmelnytskyi – Ternopil – Lviv – Berlin – Hamburg – Hamburg – Bremen is scheduled for December 10 from Odesa. Departures will take place on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. In the opposite direction, the bus will run on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.
The flight Chernihiv – Kyiv – Zhytomyr – Rivne – Lviv – Berlin – Magdeburg – Hanover – Dortmund – Essen – Duisburg – Dusseldorf – Cologne Bonn Airport will be launched for the first time on December 16. Reportedly, it is another convenient option for traveling to Cologne, in particular to Cologne-Bonn Airport. The bus will depart on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. In the opposite direction, the bus will depart on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
The route Ivano-Frankivsk – Lviv – Rzeszow – Kielce – Łódź – Poznan – Berlin will be operated twice a week: on Thursday and Sunday, and in the opposite direction – on Monday and Friday.
On November 1, FlixBus also launched a new route from Kyiv to Munich. The line allows passengers to easily transfer to flights to Italy, France, Croatia, and other European countries.
The company provides direct connections between 29 cities in Germany and 11 cities in Ukraine. FlixBus already has 28 direct bus routes between Ukraine and 8 EU countries. Nine flights connect Ukraine with European airports.
Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company has put up for sale six bulk carriers, the company’s CEO Dmytro Moskalenko has announced.
Applications from those wishing to participate in the auction were launched on the zakupivli.pro website on December 5 and will last until December 12. All six vessels are being auctioned as a single lot. Its price is UAH 440.68 million (excluding VAT).
“UDP is starting to sell the maritime fleet. It is a painful but the only right decision. UDP’s key segment is river freight transportation. We have to get rid of unprofitable non-core assets and direct resources to modernize the river fleet. It is in the river freight segment that the shipping company has development prospects,” Moskalenko wrote on Facebook on Friday.
According to him, shipowners are likely to be interested in the repaired Vilkovo and Izmail, with documents ready for operation.
“However, it is important that the Tatarbunary, Viana do Castelo, Kiliya and Reni, which have been in storage for many years, also find a buyer,” said the USP CEO.
According to Moskalenko, last year the UDP began to restore the maritime fleet.
“During the blockade of Odesa ports, the government set a task to ensure the export of agricultural products from the Danube ports. At last year’s freight rates, the restoration of the fleet was a profitable investment with a short payback period. However, after the blockade of Odesa ports was lifted, freight rates dropped several times. The Danube ports became empty. And the further trend is disappointing,” he said.
According to the UDP CEO, a number of private companies operate at low rates as well, as they “optimize taxes, operate hundreds of fleet units of different tonnages, work in different segments, in different markets with guaranteed return loading of vessels.”
“We are a state-owned company that pays all taxes in good faith. In such unequal conditions, with a working fleet of two small ships (the other four are out of commission), it is almost impossible to compete,” Moskalenko emphasized.
He noted that the USP was working on all possible options: they considered proposals to transfer the vessels to a time charter. However, the income from the charter will not cover the future costs of maintenance and repair of the vessels. The project could have become deliberately unprofitable for the state.
“Keeping the vessels idle forever is also not an option. Fleet maintenance is a significant monthly expense. Our vessels are more than 30 years old, so in some time we will have to spend money again to extend the validity of the documents,” Moskalenko summed up, noting that the decision to sell the fleet was supported by the shareholder, the Ministry of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine.
Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises in January-November of this year increased pig iron production – by 19.8%, up to 6.524 million tons.
In November, 542.9 thousand tons of pig iron was produced, while in the previous month – 624.9 thousand tons of pig iron. As reported, Ukraine in 2023 reduced pig iron smelting by 6.1% to 6.003 million tons.
Ukraine in 2022 reduced pig iron production by 69.8% – to 6.391 million tons. For 2021, 21.165 million tons of pig iron was produced (103.6% to 2020).
