Bulgaria seeks alternative export routes for 5 mln tons of wheat amid shipping risks

Bulgaria is considering increasing grain transportation by rail amid growing risks to shipping in the Black Sea. Following recent attacks on Black Sea ports, some shipowners are refusing to call at Bulgarian ports due to the threat of attacks. As a result, around 5 mln tons of Bulgarian wheat are at risk of remaining unsold, prompting the government to seek alternative export routes.

Bulgaria’s ministries of transport and agriculture held a meeting with representatives of grain associations and state-owned railway operator BDZ Freight to discuss short- and long-term solutions. As an immediate measure, the government plans to review railway stations equipped to load and unload grain. The information will then be shared with agricultural producers to improve transportation planning.

The government is also considering reopening smaller freight stations that are currently out of operation. In the longer term, plans include developing intermodal terminals to integrate rail and road grain transportation. Bulgarian Transport Minister Georgi Peev acknowledged that the state had previously underinvested in the development of railway stations as logistics facilities.

The main challenge is that most of Bulgaria’s agricultural exports traditionally move through the Black Sea ports of Varna and Burgas, from where grain is shipped mainly to North African countries, particularly Algeria. One possible alternative is to transport grain by rail to Greek ports, but the existing infrastructure faces significant capacity constraints.

Many railway lines along this route remain outdated, single-track and non-electrified, making it difficult to operate long freight trains. In addition, technical interoperability issues between the countries’ railway systems have not yet been fully resolved. Therefore, even the construction of new terminals in Bulgaria may not be sufficient to quickly redirect substantial grain volumes from Black Sea ports to alternative routes.

Tags: Bulgaria, export, wheat, rail transportation