Black Sea ports are regaining their competitiveness as Western Ukraine shifts export routes.

The Volyn-Zerno-Produkt (Vilia) agricultural company has ended its lease on a terminal in the Gdansk port (Poland) because exporting grain via the Baltic Sea has become unprofitable. According to founder Yevhen Dudka, it is now more competitive to export grain from the Volyn region in Western Ukraine through the Black Sea. The company still occasionally utilizes transit through Poland, but there is no ongoing work there. The Vilia terminal in Volyn now handles alternative cargoes such as scrap, mineral fertilizers, and diesel fuel. Grain shipments occur two to three times a week by train.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Sea Ports Administration announced a tender for the reconstruction of berth No. 7 at the Odesa Sea Port, with a cost of over ₴539M ($13M). This modernization will boost the berth’s capacity, enabling it to handle two million tons of cargo annually and generate over ₴100M in additional income for the USPA each year.

Additionally, the specialized logistics companies’ association urged authorities to review the ban on transshipping fertilizers at Ukrainian ports, warning that increased logistics costs could add more than ₴1B in additional business expenses.