Ukraine exports nearly 65 mln tonnes of cargo via Black Sea route since Aug 2023 - ministry

MOSCOW. Aug 16 (Interfax) - Ukraine's exports via the Black Sea shipping route have reached 64.4 million tonnes, including 43.5 million tonnes of grain, since it was declared unilaterally by Kiev in August 2023, Ukrainian media cited the Restoration Ministry as saying.

Over this period, the sea corridor has been used by 2,379 ships, which exported products to 46 countries, it said.

According to Ukrainian Sea Port Authority data, a mere 245,000 tonnes of cargo were shipped via this route in September 2023, the second month of the corridor's operation, including 34,000 tonnes of grain, while exports via the route increased to 1.4 million tonnes, including 582,000 tonnes of grain, in October, 2.9 million tonnes (1.14 million tonnes of grain) in November, and 4.9 million tonnes (1.89 million tonnes of grain) in December.

Cargo traffic via the corridor totaled 4.44 million tonnes (1.87 million tonnes of grain) in January 2024, 5.2 million tonnes (2.65 million tonnes of grain) in February, 5.14 million tonnes (2.57 million tonnes of grain) in March, 5.1 million tonnes (2.59 million tonnes of grain) in April, 5.04 million tonnes (2.24 million tonnes of grain) in May, 3.67 million tonnes (1.89 million tonnes of grain) in June, 3.45 million tonnes (2 million tonnes of grain) in July, and 1.73 million tonnes (938,000 tonnes of grain) in the first two weeks of August.

"Container transportation to the Odessa and Chernomorsk ports was restored this year. Further plans include resuming ferry services to seaports and starting to use the seaports of the Nikolayev region," the ministry said.

More than 2,300 vessels have entered Ukraine's Black Sea ports over the past year, exporting nearly 44 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain, Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said.

"All this has had a positive effect on various sectors of our economy and on the economy as a whole. Ukrainian exporters increased the physical volume of their sales by 35% in the first half of 2024," Shmygal said at a government meeting on Friday, adding that the pre-crisis levels of exports were being achieved.

Meanwhile, acting Agrarian Policy and Food Minister Taras Vysotsky said during the national news telethon that a total of 42 million tonnes of agricultural products for $9 billion have been exported from the Odessa ports since this Black Sea shipping route was opened a year ago.

"It means that the Ukrainian grain corridor accounts for around 70% of all Ukrainian agricultural exports today. It is $9 billion by value," Ukrainian media cited him as saying.

However, these figures are considerably lower than the pre-crisis agrifood export levels, he said, adding that the Black Sea ports handled 80%-85% of all of Ukraine's agricultural shipments to foreign markets before the start of the crisis.

Exports remain blocked from the Nikolayev port, which played an important role in agricultural export logistics before the crisis, he said.

"Seventy percent [of agricultural exports] is a very good achievement. It will help save money, cut logistics costs, and this is an automatic growth of Ukrainian farmers' earnings," Vysotsky said.

The problem of providing insurance for vessels entering the Odessa ports has been solved by 95% thanked to the establishment of a joint Ukrainian-UK insurance fund, he said.

"The creation of this insurance fund gave certainty and predictability for vessels entering [the Odessa ports]. If, when this corridor just began functioning, this insurance could be 5%-7% more expensive than before the crisis, this difference is now 1%-1.5%. I can say that there are no major problems today as far as insurance is concerned," Vysotsky said.