Articles

Disruptions to Red Sea routes, unstable schedules and increased cargo control requirements are changing the perception of flexitanks in global logistics. A format that was considered primarily a cheaper alternative to tank containers a few years ago is increasingly turning into a segment with increased operational risks.

The Strait of Hormuz is thousands of kilometers from Ukraine, but its crisis is already being felt by Black Sea freight. USM gathered the opinions of Ukrainian experts in the field of shipping and logistics to find out how events in the Middle East affect Ukraine.

The Boatscribe platform aggregates yacht rental offers around the world and integrates them into Google Maps. The solution is designed to solve one of the main problems of the market – finding new customers in conditions of stagnant demand.

USM spoke with Henri Petrosyan, director of the logistics company LUKRO, about how Ukrainian logistics has gone from collapse to adaptation, how approaches to transportation planning have changed, how political decisions affect routes, and what role practical experience plays in this.

The Ukrainian logistics business enters 2026 with new rules of the game — from stricter customs regulations to security risks that have already become part of the operational reality. These challenges and practical approaches to solving them were discussed by the participants of Freight Forwarders Updates 2026 in Odesa.

Foreign partners and experts are interested not only in cooperation, but also in studying the experience of the Ukrainian port industry, which operates and develops in conditions of war.

Routes have become longer, insurance has become more expensive, and political decisions have turned compliance into a full-fledged operational function – in 2025, these three factors had the strongest impact on freight rates, schedules, and tonnage availability.

USM continues the series of materials about what 2025 was like for global and Ukrainian shipping. This time, we recall the challenges that global carriers faced and what the shipping world will remember about the past year.

Exports of grain and leguminous crops remain critically important for the Ukrainian economy. At the same time, it should be clearly stated: pre-war conditions no longer exist — and we should not expect them to return anytime soon.

Uunsuccessful (fortunately) liquidation of the NABU and the SAPO. The public also actively discussed the “soybean-rapeseed” amendments, the long-term concession of terminals in the port of Chornomorsk, and the risk of removing Medvedchuk’s yacht “Putin’s godfather” from the state control zone.

For the ports of the Odesa region, 2025 was another year of testing. Shelling of infrastructure, changes in tariffs, a partial ban on the import of fertilizers, blackouts and the upcoming concession in the port of Chornomorsk – all this had an impact that shaped the work of the industry throughout the year.