In 2023, Ukraine’s ports handled 62 million tons, including 56.3 million tons for export, the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA) reported on Facebook on Wednesday.
According to the administration, imports amounted to 5.3 million tons. At the same time, the Ukrainian sea corridor has already exported 18 million tons of cargo to 32 countries, 12.7 million tons of which are agricultural products.
“By the end of 2023, about 62 million tons of cargo were transshipped by Ukrainian ports in wartime. Among the leaders in terms of cargo nomenclature are grains – 45.5 million tons and liquid bulk – 6.3 million tons. An undoubted achievement of 2023 was the launch of the temporary sea corridor announced by the Ukrainian Navy, which made it possible to unblock the ports of Greater Odesa. On August 16, 2023, the first vessel used the temporary corridor. According to the results of 2023, 400 vessels exported 12.8 million tons of cargo,” the statement said.
Last year, the Danube ports transshipped 32 million tons of cargo, which exceeds the record figures of 2022, the USPA said in a statement.
The cargo turnover of the port of Izmail more than doubled and reached 20.2 million tons (in 2022 – 8.8 million tons). The cargo turnover of the port of Reni reached 10 million tons (6.8 million tons), and that of the port of Ust-Dunaisk – 1.7 million tons (785 thousand tons).
The cargo turnover of the port of Odesa also increased and reached 8.41 million tons (7.69 million tons in 2022), while the cargo turnover of the port of Pivdennyi decreased to 10.08 million tons (15.28 million tons), and the port of Chornomorsk – 11.41 million tons (11.76 million tons).
“I am very grateful to the business, the team of the Ministry of Development (Communities, Infrastructure Territories) and the employees of USPA for effective cooperation, which has led to a number of technical and technological measures: 23 transshipment points have been launched and 15 investment projects are being implemented, which all helped to achieve such record-breaking results. Despite the fact that a lot has already been done, in 2024 we will continue to work together to further increase cargo turnover and improve the work of the Danube cluster ports,” Yuriy Lytvyn, Head of USPA, was quoted as saying in the statement.
Earlier it was reported that the new Ukrainian sea corridor created by the Ukrainian Navy in August 2023 ensured the export of almost 15 million tons of products, including 10 million tons of agricultural products.
Agroprosperis agricultural group has supplied 17 thousand tons of agricultural products to Italy and Spain through the ports of Croatia since the beginning of 2023, the press service of the agricultural holding reported.
“In the first weeks of September of this year, Ukrainian and world media were abuzz with the news that Ukraine started exporting grain through the seaports of Croatia. “Agroprosperis is among the domestic exporters who were the first to use this route this year. It has become an important step in the expansion of Ukrainian agro-logistics against the background of the aggressor’s blockade of the grain corridor from the deep-water ports of the Black Sea,” the company’s website reported.
The agroholding noted that it was familiar with this export channel and had used it in previous years. During 2021-2022, the agroholding shipped 4,000 tons of GMO-free soybeans to Italy through Croatian ports for export. Since the beginning of the 2023-2024 marketing year, 6 thousand tons of corn were shipped to Italy and 11 thousand tons of wheat to Spain.
Currently, Agroprosperis is implementing a program of accumulation of wheat and soybeans for customers in Egypt and Europe.
According to the report, the structural subdivisions of the agroholding continue production of agricultural products and their export through alternative logistic routes. Agroprosperis noted the selfless work of its subdivisions in Sumy and Chernihiv regions, which grow, take care of crops and harvest crops under shelling.
In addition, the Agroprosperis Charitable Foundation is also active, providing direct assistance to 2,400 war victims totaling more than UAH 30 million.
Before the Russian military invasion, Agroprosperis had a land bank of 430 thousand hectares and total storage capacity of 800 thousand tons of crops. The holding grew and exported more than 2 million tons of grain and oilseeds per year.
“Agroprosperis operates through five divisions: Golden Sunrise (Agro), Bio Agro, Ray Agro, Latagro, New Agro Management, and provides financing to Ukrainian grain producers through Agroprosperis Bank.
The unloading of railcars with grain in the ports of Greater Odessa has stopped due to the stoppage of the “grain corridor”: only 10 railcars were unloaded over the past 24 hours, Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) reported in its weekly report on Monday.
The average daily indicator of carload shipment in the ports of Greater Odessa due to the blocking of the “grain corridor” in July amounted to 80 cars/day, having deteriorated over the last week by 30 w/c.
At the same time, a slight increase in the number of railcars with grain, which move in the direction of the ports of Greater Odessa – up to 168 cars from 109 cars, the report said.
The load on the port of “Izmail”, which is an alternative for the export of grain cargoes continues to increase. Over the past week (from July 24 to July 31), the total queue of cars that move in the direction of the port amounted to 7.8 thousand cars, of this number – 3.034 thousand cars with grain. This is by 500 cars, or 19.7%, more than last week, when there were 2,534 cars in the queue.
The average daily unloading rate of grain cars at the port “Izmail” is 88 cars per day, which is 15 cars per day or 14.5% less than in the previous week.
“Due to weather conditions (wind, precipitation) and restrictions on the passage of trains, the daily unloading of grain cargo in the port “Izmail” decreased. The situation with unloading is gradually normalizing”, – it was reported.
In addition, in the direction of the transition Serpneve-1-Basarabeasca (Moldova) is fixed accumulation of about 1.3 thousand cars, including grain – 319 cars, with oil – 153 cars.
Earlier it was reported that the number of ships in the port of Izmail, according to the data of Marine Traffic monitoring application, increased to 120 on Monday against 109 last week, 32 more ships are expected to arrive. During the week, the number of ships at the port ranged from 111-113. The number of vessels at the Port of Reni decreased to 58 vessels on Monday compared to 64 last week. Another 16 vessels are expected to arrive. On Saturday there were 54 ships in the port, during the week – 58-61. Traffic has not resumed in the largest Black Sea ports.
Nibulon” JV LLC (Mykolaiv), one of the largest operators at the grain market of Ukraine, in January-June 2023 transported by its own fleet from the branch “Bessarabskaya” (Izmail) to Constanta, Romania about 80 thousand tons, or 15% of the total shipments of the company during this period.
According to the grain trader’s website, this was made possible by the redeployment of the fleet from Nikolaev, which involved disassembly of the vessels, their transportation by land to the Danube and their subsequent reassembly at the Bessarabian branch. In total two port tugs “Nibulon-12” and “Nibulon-14”, tugs “Nibulon-3” and “Nibulon-11” and two handling machines Terex Fuch mhl 385 were transported this way.
The announcement indicates that the Nibulon also began providing tug, mooring and unmooring services for vessels on the Danube. In January-June 2023, the number of hours worked in this way increased 18-fold.
“In the spring, Nibulon was able to resume shipping on the Middle Dnieper. Now tugs “Nibulon-10”, “Hermes-2” and non-self-propelled barges UAK-1, UAK-2, UAK-3, UAK-4 work here, and the branch “Kremenchugskaya” acts as a central transshipment hub that receives grain from water transport and reloads it into the cars”, – stressed the press service of grain trader and added that during April and May 2023 more than 15 thousand tons of grain were transported this way.
It is noted that the shipping company of the grain trader plans to increase the volume of services to third parties in Ismail, as well as to increase the volume of traffic to Constanta by optimizing the routes.
“The experience of sea routes in winter and spring allows the company to choose exactly sea routes instead of the Danube, which affects the speed of the fleet,” summarized the “Nibulon”.
JV Nibulon LLC was founded in 1991. Before the Russian military invasion, grain trader had 27 transshipment terminals and complexes to receive the crops, the capacity for one-time storage of 2.25 million tons of agro products, a fleet of 83 ships (including 23 tugs) and owned the Nikolayev shipyard.
“Nibulon” before the war worked 82 thousand hectares of land in 12 regions of Ukraine and exported agricultural products to more than 70 countries.
The grain trader exported a maximum of 5.64 million tons of agricultural products in 2021, reaching a record volume of deliveries to foreign markets in August – 0.7 million tons, the fourth quarter – 1.88 million tons and in the second half of the year – 3.71 million tons.
The Ministry of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure (Minvosstaniya) is preparing to concession the first and fifth terminals of the Chornomorsk sea port.
“The first stage is the development of a feasibility study (feasibility study), the next stage is to hold a tender among those wishing to receive the port terminals “Chernomorsk” for concession,” the press service of the Ministry of Reclamation said in a statement on Friday.
The Ministry reminded that the process of transferring the terminals to concession had begun even before the full-scale invasion of Russia.
Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Ministry of Restoration Alexander Kubrakov explained that the private partnership will lead to significant investments in the terminals, will optimize the logistics of transportation and improve the quality of service.
Besides, according to his words, thanks to the concession Ukraine will annually receive concession fee and taxes collection to the budget.
The feasibility study will be financed by the Global Infrastructure Fund, experts and consultants will be provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Finance Corporation.
As reported, in 2021, the Ministry of Infrastructure and the State Enterprise “Administration of the Sea Ports of Ukraine” transferred the state stevedoring companies of the sea ports “Kherson” and “Olvia” to private partners of the state.
Concession is an agreement on the transfer of natural resources, enterprises, other economic facilities owned by the state or a territorial community for temporary operation by other states, foreign firms, private persons.
On May 9 the sea port Izmail fulfilled the annual plan of cargo handling in the amount of 6.187 million tons, which is a record in the history of the port, said the head of the State Administration of Sea Ports of Ukraine (SAPU) Yuri Litvin.
“The first position in the nomenclature of cargo of the seaport of Ismail in terms of the volume of transshipment – bread cargo, in the second – other agricultural products (oil, meal, sunflower seeds), in the third – pellets,” – said the agency on Facebook.
According to it the biggest volume of cargo handling was demonstrated by Izmail Sea Commercial Port SE (2.656 million tons), Dunaysudoremont PJSC (1.289 million tons) and Dunaysudoservis IRP PJSC (805.0 thousand tons).
The capacity of the port for the export of agricultural products has increased due to the introduction of berths for cargo operations with grains and vegetable oils by new terminal operators – JSC “Dunaysudoservis”, PJSC “Danaysudoremont”, PJSC “IPCK”, as well as due to the construction of a new terminal by “Nibulon” JV LLC, added AMPU.
“Increase of throughput capacity of Izmail sea port, which today handles a significant share of Ukrainian export, was facilitated by restoration of navigation in the mouth of Bystroe, increase of the water area of MF “Izmail” and dredging works in the port water area,” – Litvin said.
He emphasized that the Danube cluster is a key alternative route of export-import logistics, which is a priority for the further development of AMPU.
As reported, last year the transshipment in the port of Ismail increased to 8.89 million tons from 4 million tons a year earlier.
The volume of transshipment of cargo in the Danube ports by the end of this year may increase up to 20 million tons against 16 million tons last year, which is three times more than before the war, predicted Deputy Prime Minister – head of the Ministry of Reclamation Alexander Kubrakov in late April. Of these, 16-17 million tons are agricultural products.
