Shipment distribution by port in 2022/23. Top terminals

After the grain deal was launched in August 2022, significance of the ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa and Pivdenny (so-called Big Odesa ports) quickly grew to ensure grain outflow from Ukraine. 

Until 2022, the Big Odesa ports’ share in the total grain, oilseeds, vegoils and meals exports amounted to 55-60%. The rest of the commodities was shipped thru the terminals of the Mykolaiv region and in the Azov Sea ports. In 2022, the ports of Berdyansk and Kherson were stopped, the biggest grain terminal in Mariupol, Azov Sea – UkrTransAgro Terminal was in fact destroyed.  

Ukraine proposes for the second time to add the ports of Mykolaiv and Olvia Port to the updated grain agreement, but according to UkrAgroConsult, this option is currently considered unlikely.

Importance of the small Danube ports (Izmail, Reni, Ust-Dunaisk) for agri exports grew incredibly quickly in the 2022/23 season. For the 7 months of the season (July 2022-Jan 2023), these ports’ share in the total grain exports by sea was at 31-32%. Before 2022, the Danube ports share was at 0.2-0.5% of the total exports. 

Top-5 export sea terminals

Anyway, in 2022/23, the top 5 terminals situated in the ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa and Pivdenny handled about 37% of the grain exported by sea from Ukraine. Novotech terminal was among the mentioned top 5 terminals, although this terminal elevator is the smallest among the terminals.