Ukraine Launches Landmark Port Concession, Draws Interest From 40 Global Operators

Ukraine has launched the biggest port investment project since independence, a landmark public–private partnership in the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk that aims to attract hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign capital and generate more than $1.1 billion in budget revenues over the next four decades.

The Gaze reports this, referring to announcements made by Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko and Deputy Prime Minister for Recovery Oleksii Kuleba.

Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said that the initiative has already drawn strong interest from international investors.

“More than 40 leading global port operators and investors have expressed their readiness to participate. This could become the largest investment in the history of Ukrainian ports – hundreds of millions of dollars for modernization and over $1.1 billion in revenues for local and state budgets over the next 40 years,” she noted.

The order to establish the competition commission was signed a day earlier in Odesa by Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba. 

He emphasized that the process will be carried out with support from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and leading consultants before an investor is selected.

“For the community of Chornomorsk, this project means stability and new opportunities. For the country as a whole – it means the revival of container transport,” Kuleba said.

The concession model keeps the terminals under state ownership while granting the private partner responsibility for modernization and management through a long-term agreement. 

Officials expect container throughput to reach 250,000 TEU annually within three years, with capacity eventually returning to pre-war volumes of over half a million TEU.

Svyrydenko underlined that the project also signals Ukraine’s openness to investors even during wartime.

“The state retains ownership, while the investor modernizes and manages the asset. This is a clear message that Ukraine guarantees transparent rules for business and is open to international investment,” she said.

Officials argue that implementing the Chornomorsk concession will reinforce Ukraine’s role in logistics, bolster food exports, and accelerate economic integration with Europe, even as Russian forces continue to target the country’s vital port infrastructure.

Read more on The Gaze: Drivers of Economic Growth for Post-War Ukraine