Over 50 Million Tonnes of Cargo Passed Through Ukraine’s Maritime Corridor in Nine Months

The maritime corridor established by Ukraine in the Black Sea to ensure the safe passage of civilian vessels has facilitated the export of over 50 million tonnes of cargo in nine months, according to the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority.

"Since the first vessel, Joseph Schulte, departed through the Ukrainian corridor on 16 August 2023, Ukrainian Black Sea ports have processed this record volume of cargo despite constant enemy attacks on our critical infrastructure. This amounts to 1,737 vessels processed!" the statement said.

Ukrinform also reported that in April of the current year, Ukraine reached a record level of grain and oilseed exports since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, totalling 6.6 million tonnes. Approximately 5.2 million tonnes of this volume were shipped through Ukrainian Black Sea ports. This figure surpassed the previous peak of 4.2 million tonnes set in October 2022 under the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

While the maritime corridor remains the primary route for exporting Ukrainian agricultural products, accounting for about 78% of the total export volume, Ukraine is also developing other trade routes. Notably, there is export of grain and oilseeds via the Danube (about 15% of volumes), by rail (about 6% of volumes), and by road transport (less than 1% of volumes).

The success of Ukraine’s agricultural exports is crucial for global food security. The UK's Ministry of Defence noted that from July 2023 to June 2024, grain exports from Ukraine constituted approximately 9.7% of the world’s grain exports.

It is worth recalling that after the onset of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, trade routes in the Black Sea were threatened by Russia. It promised to attack any vessels heading to and from Ukraine, considering them legitimate military targets. On 22 July 2022, an agreement was signed between the UN, Turkey, Ukraine, and Russia on maritime corridors for exporting Ukrainian grain. The agreement expired on 17 July 2023, and Russia refused to continue its participation.

Despite this, Ukraine managed to create and secure its own corridor in the Black Sea, even as Russia began deliberately targeting its port infrastructure and agricultural capacities.