Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta will set up an additional harbor to increase the transit of Ukrainian grain by March 2024, said Dmytro Moskalenko, the director of the Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company, on Dec. 11.
A Ukrainian delegation, which included Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, visited Romania on Dec. 7 to discuss increasing the transit capacity across the Danube River.
Romania plays a crucial role in Ukrainian exports amid Russia's threats to Black Sea maritime transport, shipping out almost 60% of Ukraine's produce.
Discussions on an additional harbor in Constanta reportedly began in September.
The Romanian side pledged to hold a tender and develop a regulatory framework in January-February next year to make the anchorage operational in March, Moskalenko said.
The agreement was concluded during the Ukrainian delegation's visit to Romania, he added.
Constanta, lying on Romania's Black Sea coast some 130 kilometers south of the Ukrainian border, is connected to the Danube River via the Danube-Black Sea canal.
The Danube's importance as a shipping route rose sharply following Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal in July.
As Ukraine managed to restore the flow of goods to and from its Odesa ports, shipping across the Danube has somewhat decreased, Moskalenko said.
"However, the issue is still relevant. The Danube River can turn from a 'back-up' agricultural export route to the main one at any moment," he wrote on social media.
Dominic Culverwell
