Cargo flow through the Danube may decrease to 5 million tons in 2026 — Ministry of Development
1.06.2026 - 09:30
After the resumption of the ports of Great Odesa, cargo turnover in the Danube region continues to fall, and in 2026 it may decrease to about 5 million tons.
This was stated by Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories Andriy Kashuba during the Ukrainian Danube Conference.
According to him, after the blockade of seaports in 2022, Danube ports became one of the main routes for export and import. Thanks to the implemented solutions, their throughput capacity increased to 35 million tons per year in 2023, and cargo transshipment increased six times compared to the pre-war period.
At the same time, after the resumption of the ports of Great Odesa, the volumes of transshipment on the Danube began to decline. If in 2024 17.4 million tons of cargo passed through Danube ports, then in 2025 this figure decreased to 8.9 million tons.
The Ministry of Development predicts that in 2026, cargo traffic may decrease to approximately 5 million tons.
Kashuba noted that without additional state support, the region risks facing downtime of enterprises, loss of personnel and weakening of economic activity.
Among the proposed solutions are the creation of a unified management system for Danube ports, tariff incentives and benefits for rail transportation to the ports of Reni and Izmail.
Earlier it became known that mariitme exports of metal in containers have almost disappeared from Danube ports.
