PM about one year of maritime corridor operation: More than 2,300 vessels entered Black Sea ports

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said this at a government meeting on Thursday, Ukrinform reports.

“Food security is one of the 10 points of President Volodymyr Zelensky's Peace Formula. In June, in Switzerland, the International Peace Summit participants unanimously supported Ukraine's position on food security. This also applies to the protection of ports and free and safe navigation in the Black Sea,” he said.

The Prime Minister recalled that from the first day of its invasion, Russia had been doing everything to block Ukrainian Black Sea ports. This is how the enemy put pressure on Ukraine's economy and its allies, creating threats to global food security, Shmyhal said.

According to Shmyhal, one of the biggest victories for Ukraine last year was the launch of the Ukrainian maritime corridor.

The Prime Minister unveiled the results of the maritime corridor's operation.

“More than 2,300 vessels have entered Ukraine’s Black Sea ports over one year. The cargo turnover amounted to more than 64 million tonnes. Almost 44 million tonnes of grain were exported from Ukraine,” he said.

According to him, all of this had a positive impact on various sectors of the country's economy and the economy as a whole.

At the same time, he stressed that Ukrainian exporters increased physical sales of their goods by 35% in the first half of 2024, “we have reached pre-war export levels.”

The Prime Minister stressed that this result was made possible by three things. The first is the successful actions of the Security and Defence Forces of Ukraine in the Black Sea. The second is an initiative to ensure war risks for merchant ships, which the state is undertaking together with international insurance companies. The third is the restoration of Ukraine’s port infrastructure and investments in its development.

As reported, since the beginning of 2024/2025 marketing year, as of August 7, Ukraine exported 4.356 million tonnes of grains and legumes, which is 2 million tonnes more than in the same period of the previous marketing year.