Cargo shipping along the Dnipro copes only with transportation of construction materials

In January-September, the volume of cargo transported along the Dnipro River amounted to 9.98 million tons, which is 2.58 million tons (or 34.9%) more than in the same period last year.

From January to September 2021, 11,739 voyages were made along the Dnipro, against 7,899 voyages in 2020 (+ 48.6%).

The main share of cargo is construction, the volume of transportation of which increased by 92.1% and reached 6.93 million tons.

In second place is grain cargo. Grain transportation indicators decreased by 17.4% and amounted to 2.03 million tons.

Also, from January to September, 998.1 thousand tons of steel products were transported along the Dnipro, which is 22.5% less than in the same period in 2020.

According to the Deputy Director for development of Ukrpromvneshexpertiz Serhii Povazhnyuk, only about 2% of the total cargo traffic is transported by rivers in Ukraine. At the same time, the cargo base is monotonous and is formed according to the residual principle. These are steel, grain and mineral construction materials. Other cargoes “go” to roads and railways.

Grain cargoes along the Dnipro are decreasing, since even those companies that have their own terminals on the river and their own fleet are forced to transport grain by rail. A striking example of this is the Svetlovodsk River Terminal: the enterprise has its own terminal on the water, its own grain and barges, which, nevertheless, are empty at the pier. This is due to the cost of river transportation and outdated lock infrastructure.

Read also: Cabotage or sabotage: the history of locks on the Dnipro

In addition, the climate is getting warmer every year, and in Ukraine, navigation on the Dnipro River is still closed “as in the old times” in November, despite the warming and the absence of ice on the inland waterways. At the same time, luminous buoys are removed on the river, which makes it impossible to navigate at night and increases the cost of the voyage.

As a reminder, from January 1st, 2022, the Law “On Inland Water Transport” comes into force. But recently it turned out that by this time they will not have time to approve a special fund for financing the projects provided for by the document. And without funding, both the creation of a special body for the control of weapons and military equipment and the modernization/repair of locks on the Dnipro will not be possible.

Read also: Import of barges to Ukraine. How to satisfy the demand for transportation along the Dnipro