In the first five months of this year, 78,000 TEU were handled at Ukrainian ports. This was announced by Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, Andriy Kashuba, in an interview with Ukrinform.
Between January and May, Ukrainian ports processed 78,000 TEU — nearly twice as much as during the same period last year.
Kashuba noted that in 2021, over 1 million TEU were handled in Ukrainian ports.
“In 2022, due to the start of the full-scale invasion, that figure dropped to 157.7 thousand TEU. The following year, the trend continued, and we saw only 67,000 TEU. In 2024, the market showed some recovery, reaching nearly 130,000 TEU by the end of the year,” the deputy minister explained.
He added that during January–May this year, 78,000 TEU were recorded — nearly double the volume of the same period in 2024.
“This indicates a gradual recovery in this type of transport and an increase in container handling volumes. However, we are still far from the pre-2022 figures, as this mode of transport is highly sensitive to security conditions. Container shipping mostly involves global operators whose safety standards currently do not allow them to fully resume operations in our waters. Ukraine, however, is very interested in seeing key operators return to its seaports,” emphasized Andriy Kashuba.
Container shipping through Ukrainian seaports is currently being carried out by several operators and shipping lines. The Turkish company Akkon Lines continues to operate its own vessels via the Chornomorsk Commercial Seaport. Feeder vessels of Iteris are active at the Chornomorsk Fishing Port; their service is used by various lines, including Maersk. The Odessa Container Terminal (OCT), owned by HHLA — with MSC acquiring a stake in autumn 2024 — resumed vessel calls in summer 2024.
In February 2025, CMA CGM resumed vessel calls to the Brooklyn-Kyiv Port terminal in Odesa. Other major carriers are also showing interest in resuming operations.
