In September, a new anchorage area for the export of Ukrainian grain is planned to be opened in the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanța. This decision was announced by Dmytro Moskalenko, the General Director of Ukrainian Danube Shipping.
The decision to open an additional anchorage area was discussed by Romanian representatives during an online Quint format meeting, which included participants from the European Commission, the US government, the government of Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine.
Last year, UDS was one of the initiators of creating an anchorage area in Constanța. According to Moskalenko, the terminal capacities in the port were insufficient for handling the grain flow from Ukraine at that time. Up to 600 barges with grain were waiting in the port, with waiting times for unloading reaching 30-40 days.
"Currently, the Ukrainian Danube Shipping fleet is returning to transporting grain from Ukrainian ports to Constanța. The establishment of an anchorage area represents an opportunity to strengthen the competitive advantages of the Danube export route," wrote the General Director of UDS.
At the same time, Moskalenko emphasized that the export of Ukrainian grain via the Danube will only remain viable if all logistical costs are reduced. He added that compared to last year, freight rates for river transportation from Ukraine to Romania have decreased threefold.
"We are working on reducing the tariff for railway transportation to Izmail. The success of the anchorage project depends significantly on reducing cargo handling costs. Our joint task is to ensure that grain exports via the Danube remain competitive with ports in Odessa," the statement concluded.
