Cargo on the Dnipro River increased by 64% yoy in the first half of this year,

reports the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority. An earlier shipping season and the highway crackdown on overloaded trucks may be behind the increase. The locks on the Dnipro cascade opened March 10. Since then, 6,433 river cargo trips were made, double the number for the first half of last year. Of the 5.4 million tons, 69% were construction materials – largely sand and gravel. The next two categories were: grain – 1.1 million tons; and metals – 604,000 tons.