USPA denied information that shipowners are suspending calls to Ukrainian ports

The Ukrainian Sea Ports Administration noted that ships continue to call at Ukrainian ports, despite Russian shelling.

This was reported by the USPA at the request of Forbes Ukraine.

The agency stated: the information that shipowners are suspending calls at Ukrainian deep-sea ports amid increased Russian shelling is not true. The Administration added that 9% more ships are currently calling at the ports than as of January 20 last year. The USPA refused to disclose absolute numbers of ship calls for security reasons.

The regulator specified that over the 19 days of January 2025, the ports handled approximately 2% more ships compared to the same period in December 2024, as well as over 3% more than on the same date last year.

Earlier, ASAP Agri analysts said that against the backdrop of increased attacks on port infrastructure and new shelling of vessels, more and more shipowners are suspending calls to Ukrainian deep-sea ports, waiting for the situation to de-escalate.

“At the beginning of the week, a significant number of firm offers were still available on the market in the handy-size segment for the transportation of Ukrainian grain. However, by the middle of the week, market sentiment had changed: shipowners became more cautious and increasingly refrained from further negotiations. The negotiated freight rates remained at the levels of last week, but their further direction remains uncertain,” ASAP Agri noted.

At the same time, experts emphasized that the market is receiving offers of tonnage for grain transportation from Ukrainian Danube ports — this allows keeping freight rates in this segment relatively stable.

Earlier, USM reported that the State Customs Service and the USPA synchronized data on ship calls at seaports.