Ukrainian industrial group Interpipe is testing a new logistics route for delivering its products to EU countries using a combination of rail and road transport, specifically through the terminal in Chełm, Poland. This was announced by the company's Director of Procurement and Logistics, Oleksiy Yanovskyi.
In response to whether the company is considering using internal waterways for transporting its goods to Europe, Yanovskyi said,
“Interpipe has carefully explored the possibility of using the Danube for deliveries to EU countries. Unfortunately, the current level of service does not allow us to compete with direct road transport, both economically and in terms of transit time.”
Currently, the company is conducting test shipments of pipes by rail to a terminal in Chełm, Poland, which has a broad-gauge railway. From there, the goods are transferred to trucks and delivered to the final destination.
“This method is relatively economically viable given the current trucking rates, but it has its drawbacks, particularly regarding the issue of rust on the pipe surfaces. However, it is unlikely that this method will be suitable for rail products due to their extreme sensitivity to storage and transportation conditions. Thus, for railway wheels and wheelsets, direct road transport is likely to remain the most feasible method of delivery to customers in Europe,” Yanovskyi noted.
Earlier, it was reported that Interpipe had signed a contract to supply railway wheels to the Greenbrier Corporation. Overall, in 2024, the Ukrainian manufacturer plans to supply 20,000 wheelsets to the EU market in the freight wagon segment.
