Under the conditions of stable operation of the Black Sea ports, the Danube ones are losing cargo flows.
Against the background of the functioning of the Ukrainian sea corridor to the ports of Great Odesa, it is there that the transshipment of grain cargoes stabilizes, freight rates, and the cost of insurance decreases. On the other hand, the expediency of sending grain through the Danube ports in these conditions decreases.
Dmytro Kazanin, the director and owner of the logistics company TEUS, told about this in a column on CTS.
He noted that currently the freight rates for barges operating on the Danube have already reached the pre-war level. Delivery to the Romanian port of Constanta starts at 10-12 dollars per ton of cargo.
As for the ports of Great Odesa, according to him, now the cost of transshipment there ranges from $15-16 in the direct option to $21-23 in the format of work through a warehouse.
"The difference of almost 100 hryvnias per ton between delivery to the ports of Great Odesa by rail and to the port of Izmail is noticeable. For cargoes such as corn and wheat, such a difference in rates can be decisive from the point of view of economic expediency. Moreover, there are restrictions in the ports of the Danube sediments for ships," says the expert.
In his opinion, part of the cargo can still remain in the Danube ports. This applies to niche crops - such as, for example, millet. Such cultures are not sent in large batches, and the Danube ports are suitable for small batches. It is also, for example, meal, fertilizer, mineral cargo, which does not have enough space in the ports of Greater Odessa.
"It would be good if the state acted as a regulator to support the active operation of the Danube ports... For example, the situation with their competitiveness could significantly change for the better if, for example, Ukrzaliznytsia offered discounts on tariffs for delivery to these ports. This could to return the cargo flow to the direction of Izmail. As for the port of Reni, it is necessary to minimize the transit through the territory of Moldova, which currently amounts to 6-7 euros per ton. It would be great to reduce it at least to 1.5 euros per ton to return to economic feasibility." - summarized Kazanin.