Exports of Ukrainian grain through the Romanian port of Constanta decreased by half

In the first three quarters of 2024, the Romanian port of Constanta more than halved the transshipment of Ukrainian grain compared to the same period last year. During this period, 5.17 mln tons were shipped against 10.4 mln tons last year.

Ukrainian grain traffic through the Romanian port decreased particularly markedly in the third quarter. The indicator showed more than twofold drop compared to the previous two quarters: only 930 thsd tonnes were shipped against 2.08 mln tonnes in Q2 and 2.16 mln tonnes in Q1.

August was the most critical month of the third quarter, when only 120 thsd tonnes of Ukrainian grain passed through Constanta. This figure goes back to the first months of the full-scale invasion.

In September, the traffic recovered somewhat, with 430 thousand tons shipped. For comparison, in July, August and September 2023, the transit of Ukrainian grain through the Romanian port amounted to 600 thsd tonnes, 1.1 mln tonnes and 1.3 mln tonnes, respectively.

“It should be noted that this year’s loss of half of Ukrainian transit affected the volume of grain cargo traffic in Constanta: grain shipments in the first three quarters decreased by 12.9% to 21.9 mln tons compared to the same period last year,” the publication writes.

The Ukrainian share of the grain segment of the Romanian port decreased from 40% in 2023 to 28% in the first half of this year. After the unsuccessful third quarter, the share decreased by another 4% to 24%.

Tags: grain, Constanta, Ukraine, export