Interview

At the backdrop of the suspension of the ports of Great Odesa, the logistics market is undergoing a large-scale restructuring: business is adapting, taking into account risks, looking for new ways of export-import and at the same time trying to keep delivery times and costs acceptable to customers.

USM talks about the current challenges and thoughts of the Ukrainian logistics sector using the example of Marine Service Ukraine, which provides comprehensive customs brokerage and forwarding services. Read below to find out what MSU Executive Director Tetyana Shevchuk said about logistics from the inside in these chaotic times.

During the years of occupation, Russia has formed a stable system for exporting stolen Ukrainian grain: the same ships that regularly enter closed ports, shell companies, fake documents about the origin of the cargo, as well as buyers willing to work with “toxic” grain.

After the intensification of Russian attacks on civilian vessels and port infrastructure, Ukrainian maritime exports have once again found themselves in a state of uncertainty.

USM spoke with Dmytro Barinov, President of the Association of Ports of Ukraine “Ukrport”, about how this situation affects the port business, traders and farmers, whether the Danube and land routes can replace deep-sea ports, as well as what is needed to return foreign vessels to the Ukrainian direction.

Despite the intensification of Russian attacks on the ports of Great Odesa, container logistics, although it has encountered its own difficulties, has not stopped: Ukrainian cargo continues to be served through European hubs, land routes and dry ports.

In early July, Greenpeace activists went to the Baltic Sea to document the “Kira K” tanker of the so-called “shadow fleet,” which is under sanctions. Soon, a Russian warship accompanying the tanker approached the activists and began to warn Greenpeace.

The campaign was attended by Natalia Gozak, the director of Greenpeace Ukraine, who documented the entire incident involving the Russian warship. USM spoke with the activist about what the “Kira K” incident shows, why the ship’s appearance near the tanker is an important signal for the countries of the Baltic region, and what environmental risks such shipments pose.

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.

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.

Danube ports remain an important alternative route for Ukrainian exports during the war. At the same time, the transportation market in the region is changing rapidly. It is affected by war risks, the new tariff policy on the Sulina Canal, and the general situation on the freight market.

The port industry is one of the main links of the Ukrainian economy, which is currently forced to operate in extremely difficult conditions. About losses due to the war, competition between ports, challenges in the field of container transportation, as well as investments in the port industry and infrastructure, USM spoke with the head of the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, Oleksandr Semyrha.

River transport in Ukraine virtually ceased to exist due to the war, and logistics flows shifted to sea ports. NIBULON Logistics Director Serhiy Kalkutin told USM about the main challenges faced by Ukrainian river logistics during the war, the future of inland waterways, the blocked fleet in Mykolaiv, and the prospects for the restoration of navigation on the Dnipro. Is it worth investing in river transport, and what opportunities will open up after the war?