Barge freight rates on the Danube doubled due to shelling of ports of Great Odesa

The cost of transporting cargo by barge from the Ukrainian Danube ports of Reni and Izmail to Constanta, Romania, has almost doubled since the beginning of July, to about $28 per ton.

This was reported by ASAP Agri, writes Latifundist.

According to analysts, two factors simultaneously influenced the market. The first is the historically low water level in the Danube, due to which barges operate with significant underloading and delays. The second is the intensification of Russian attacks on the ports of Greater Odessa, which increased demand for an alternative route via the Danube.

ASAP Agri also noted that the sharp increase in rates has reduced the competitiveness of barge transportation compared to barges. At the same time, unlike 2022-2023, this season, Russian attacks on barges have become an additional risk factor, which is why the available fleet is limited.

According to estimates by ASAP Agri freight analyst Pavlo Lysenko, due to low water levels, barges are currently losing about 30–60% of their carrying capacity, depending on the design of the vessel. Earlier, Maersk told what the timing of the resumption of work in Ukraine depends on.