Ukraine’s exports via maritime corridor already reach 50M tonnes

Over the past nine months, a total of 50 million tonnes of goods have been exported via the Ukrainian maritime corridor.

The relevant statement was made by the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA) on Facebook, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“Since the first vessel Joseph Shulte sailed through the Ukrainian corridor on August 16, 2023, the Ukrainian Black Sea ports have handled this record volume of cargo [50 million tonnes – Ed.] despite the constant enemy attacks on our critical infrastructure. As of now, 1,737 vessels have been handled,” the report states.

According to the Ukrainian Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development Ministry, through the combined efforts of the Ukrainian government, USPA, international partners and all port industry workers, Ukraine managed to arrange stable agricultural exports by sea.

In April 2024, Ukraine exported 6.6 million tonnes of grain and oilseed crops, which is a record-breaking volume since the Russian full-scale invasion started. In particular, about 5.2 million tonnes was shipped via Ukraine’s Black Sea ports (compared to the peak result of 4.2 million tonnes under the Black Sea Grain Initiative in October 2022). According to experts, this demonstrates Ukraine’s ability to carry out exports on a unilateral basis through its maritime corridor in the Black Sea.

Earlier, the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom mentioned that shipping from Ukraine is “highly likely vital for global food security”. Ukraine’s grain exports are expected to reach around 9.7% of the global grain exports between July 2023 and June 2024.

The analysts believe that, while agricultural exports are almost certainly dependent on the Black Sea ports, representing around 78% in volume, other routes remain in use. Ukraine continues to export grain and oilseeds via the Danube River at around 15% by volume, rail at around 6% by volume, and road at under 1% by volume.

A reminder that United States Agency for International Development (USAID) expects Ukraine’s grain exports to grow by about 15% this year.

Photo: TRT Haber