The cargo turnover of Ukraine’s Danube ports exceeded 29 million tons in 2023.
Yurii Lytvyn, the head of the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA), announced this during a meeting between representatives of the Ukrainian Ministry of Development of Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure, the heads of diplomatic missions, and members of the public, the CFTS portal reports.
"Given the unstable security situation in the Black Sea, the Danube ports have remained one of the most reliable export routes. That is why a significant part of our efforts were aimed at optimizing the operations of these ports," Lytvyn said.
According to him, over 29 million tons of cargo passed through the Danube ports in 2023. "This is almost a sixfold increase compared with the pre-war period," the head of the USPA said.
In addition, the number of ships calling at these ports doubled from 8,944 in 2022 to 13,045 in 2023.
"Together with businesses, we launched 23 transshipment points in 2023, and we are implementing 15 more such investment projects in the ports of Izmail and Reni. During 2022-2023, we performed 3.33 million cubic meters of operational dredging, which helped to significantly increase the number of ships passing through. The number of pilots was also increased. In the port of Reni, 22 ships and 40 barges were in berths simultaneously," Lytvyn said.
As the CFTS portal reported previously, almost 15 million tons of cargo have been exported through the temporary Black Sea corridor in the five months since its opening.
