New maritime corridor has started operating around the clock, and container ships and ferries are resuming their operations

The Ukrainian sea corridor has been operating around the clock since last week after receiving the necessary permits from the Ukrainian Navy.

This was stated by Deputy Minister of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure Yuriy Vaskov during a roundtable discussion on Ukrainian exports.

“The corridor still has at least 20% more potential,” the deputy minister said.

According to him, container transportation via the Ukrainian Sea Corridor is expected to resume within two to three weeks.

“All five container terminals are ready to handle (containers – ed.). Almost all of them are involved in transshipment of agricultural and other products. But containers are a priority, and they are negotiating. I hope that in two or three weeks we will get the first calls (of ships – ed.),” Vaskov said.

He added that the Ministry of Reconstruction also hopes to resume road ferry service within two weeks, and rail ferry service in two months.

Vaskov reminded that in February, the corridor reached a record volume of export and import transportation – 8 million tons, of which 60-65% were agricultural products, and the rest were ore, metals and imported fertilizers.

According to him, the corridor is now operating at the same pace as in February, as the weather was unfavorable last week.

In total, according to the Deputy Minister, more than a thousand vessels have sailed through the Ukrainian sea corridor since the start of its operation, transporting almost 31 million tons.

“We have almost reached the level of the grain corridor, but in a much shorter period of time,” Vaskov added.

What is happening with Ukrainian exports?

As reported, at the end of 2023, the volume of exports of Ukrainian goods amounted to almost 100 million tons, which is 112 thousand tons more than in 2022. However, in value terms, the figure fell by 18.7% to $35.8 billion, one of the lowest figures in the last decade.

Exports of goods began to grow last fall thanks to the new corridor to the ports of Greater Odesa, which is under the protection of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In particular, in December, thanks to the maritime corridor, Ukraine’s agricultural exports increased to 7.2 million tons. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the highest volume (7.45 million tons) was recorded only in March 2022.

As a reminder, in July, Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and stated that it would consider any civilian vessel leaving Ukrainian ports a military target. After that, Russia launched massive attacks on Ukrainian ports on the Danube, launching “shahed” strikes on grain storage and transshipment facilities.

In turn, Ukraine established its own temporary route from the ports of Greater Odesa. Initially, shipowners were wary of using the new route, as Russia threatened to treat any ships sailing to Ukraine as potential targets. However, while the number of ships is increasing, the security risks remain the same.

Tags: Ukraine, export, Black Sea grain corridor