Poor railway infrastructure hampers Constanța efforts to replace war blocked Ukrainian ports

Constanța, Romania (PortSEurope) April 11, 2022 - Romania's largest Black Sea port of Constanta, which is also the nearest port to war-torn Ukraine, looks unable to seize the chance to take over the cargo that cannot reach blocked Ukrainian ports. This is due to poor railway infrastructure. Both, the port and freight railway company CFR Marfa are controlled by the state. Recently, Romanian Transport Minister Sorin Grindeanu claimed that only 50% of the port’s railway infrastructure is used. But it is his ministry that failed to carry out the necessary investments for the development of the railway facilities. Grindeanu said that the first 84 railway cars (wagons) that had been blocking the railway lines in the port for years had been removed. Freight traffic through the port of Constanța increased in March 2022 by more than 23% compared to March 2021 (+30,000 tonnes), to a daily average of 160,000 tonnes, because of the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports in the Black and Azov Seas. Romanian media reports that CFR has 256 km of railway in the port of Constanța, the Maritime Ports Management Company has additional 59 km and 11 km belong to port operators. CFR was to receive in June 2021 a feasibility study on the modernization of its railways in the port, but it extended the deadline to end-2022. Ukraine is negotiating with Romania to use the port of Constanta and Romanian railways for the export of its agricultural production (grains, oil seeds) and metals. Constanța, the largest port on the Black Sea, through which 67 million tonnes of goods pass annually, is overloaded with containers from the beginning of the war in Ukraine and there are ships that wait for days to dock the port. Most of the ships, loaded with food and other goods, had to reach Ukraine's biggest Black Sea port of Odessa, that has been blocked by the Russian Navy. Trucks from Ukraine and landlocked Moldova need special corridors to reach their destinations. 16 companies are already accepted to use these green corridors. Port authorities say cargo in the port has doubled since the start of Russian invasion in Ukraine on February 24. In related developments, MSC, as part of the 2M Alliance, is to launch a rail-river export service for Ukrainian cargo in the Odessa region heading to Constanta in Romania, for onward connections to global destinations. Ukraine’s railways are dealing with a backlog of grain wagons on the country’s western border, as traders seek alternative export routes. Ukraine became a landlocked country after Russia blocked the Azov Sea and closed all its Black Sea ports after its invasion in Ukraine started on February 24. It is one of the world’s biggest grain and metals exporters. Kiev can still use Danube River for water transport towards Europe. PortSEurope observations are that the cargo traffic in Danube’s Austrian section has intensified in the past week More PortSEurope news about the Ukrainian crisis Copyright (C) PortSEurope. All Rights Reserved. 2022.

Poor railway infrastructure hampers Constanța efforts to replace war blocked Ukrainian ports

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Poor railway infrastructure hampers Constanța efforts to replace war blocked Ukrainian ports

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