Alternative routes covering Danube ports, rail and road logistics make it possible to export about 4.5 million tonnes of cargo per month out of the 6 million tonnes that Ukraine's maritime corridor could handle, First Deputy Minister for Reconstruction, Infrastructure and Transport Serhiy Derkach has told Interfax-Ukraine.
"This figure (4.5 million tonnes) allows us to export… Reports that we have a collapse in exports are not true," Derkach stressed.
He noted that of the total 6 million tonnes of cargo transported via the maritime corridor, about 4 million tonnes consisted of grain, while another 2 million tonnes were mostly various types of metals and iron ore.
According to him, among the alternative routes being developed by the ministry, the Danube ports play an important role — they have already begun operating in an enhanced mode and can handle up to 3 million tonnes of cargo per month.
The first deputy minister confirmed that Russia has intensified attacks on these ports as well, but noted that the ministry is taking additional measures to ensure their continued operation, and that over the past month the Danube ports have already tripled their cargo handling volumes.
The situation could be further improved by restoring round-the-clock operation of Romanian pilots on the Sulina maritime canal, which currently operates only during the day. Talks on this issue are underway with the European Commission and Romania.
The infrastructure ministry is also working with Romania to train Ukrainian pilots who, once certified, will be able to guide vessels through the canal, Derkach added.
He said rail routes can handle the transport of a further 1-1.5 million tonnes of cargo per month, while road transport can handle around 200,000-300,000 tonnes, bringing the total to 4.5 million tonnes.
To increase cross-border road transport, work continues on expanding checkpoints. In particular, a bridge is being built between Ukraine and Moldova in the town of Yampil (Vinnytsia region). There are also plans to open the Yampil-Cuseuti checkpoint as a full-fledged crossing point with a bridge, the first deputy minister said.
He recalled that four lanes for freight transport have already been built at the Porubne-Siret checkpoint on the border with Romania. Once Romania completes matching infrastructure on its side, this will double freight capacity, with an estimated 150 trucks per day able to cross this checkpoint for export.
Overall, the ministry expects to increase capacity along the entire border by 15-20% over the year through the expansion of checkpoint lanes, the first deputy minister said.
Derkach separately noted that this is important not only for exports but also for imports, since road transport accounts for more than 30% of all imports into Ukraine.
At the same time, the first deputy minister acknowledged that alternative routes increase logistics costs.
"If we're talking about oilseeds, for example, this increase in costs isn't as critical for them. For grain, it's unprofitable, because [exporters] will lose money. On the other hand, if you absolutely need to get at least some working capital and move the grain out, then it's possible," Derkach said, describing the situation.
He stressed that the transport situation this year is objectively more difficult than in 2022 and previous years, because Russia has significantly intensified its strikes, deliberately targeting every link in logistics chains — warehouses, ports, bridges, checkpoints, locomotives and even individual vehicles.
According to the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA), 185 attacks on ports in Odesa region, 92 attacks on vessels in ports, and 69 attacks on vessels outside ports were recorded from Jan 1 to Aug 24 this year.
Regarding attacks on the railway, according to Ukrzaliznytsia, while the enemy carried out 6,100 attacks over the entire course of the war, more than 1,500 of those took place between Jan 1 and Aug 20 this year alone.
