Even if Ukraine's agreements on using Black Sea routes for its grain exports are renewed and in the context of lower crops in Ukraine this year, the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta remains a better and cheaper option which puts it under pressure.

Overall, Constanta port transferred 12.2 million tonnes of grain in the first five months of this year, up 21% y/y, Adevarul reported.

According to experts, nearly 50 mln tonnes from Ukraine and Romania should be sent from Constanta port during the coming marketing year. No slots are available for exports in July or August, and the contracts are signed already for September. 

At the beginning of the war in Ukraine, about 700 rusty train cars blocked the tracks in the port of Constanta. But last year alone, Romania reopened or rehabilitated rail freight and passenger links with Ukraine and Moldova, and work continues.

Also, transit routes by rail or barge from Ukrainian ports on the Danube have improved during the 16 months of the war, port operators say. Advances in logistics have reduced costs, making the Danube vital for Ukraine's exports of agricultural products.

As a result, the port of Constanta could be overcrowded, even if the international agreement on Ukrainian grain exports via Black Sea ports is extended, according to Cezar Gheorghe of consultancy AGRIColumn.

"Although we are not in the harvest season, Constanta port is suffocated," he says.

According to him, about 27 mln tonnes of grain and oilseeds from Ukraine could be shipped through the port of Constanta in the 2023/2024 season, even if the international agreement is extended, which will compete with the 20-21 mln tonnes of cereals and oilseeds resulting from a promising Romanian harvest.

iulian@romania-insider.com

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