Ukrainian seaports continue to accept and process vessels, despite the intensification of shelling by the Russian Federation. Recently, media reports have emerged claiming that shipowners are allegedly suspending calls to Ukraine’s deep-water ports due to the worsening security situation; however, these statements do not reflect reality.
This is reported by Finway
Trends in Vessel Arrivals and Market Sentiment
The analytical platform ASAP Agri previously reported a trend of caution among shipowners, who, according to their data, have increasingly been reluctant to transport cargo to Ukrainian ports due to expectations of de-escalation. However, according to the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA), the actual situation indicates an increase in the number of vessels arriving at the ports.
At the beginning of this week, a large number of firm offers were available in the handy size segment for transporting grain from Ukraine. However, by mid-week, market sentiment had shifted somewhat: shipowners began to show greater caution and more frequently refrained from new deals. Despite this, the statistics on vessel arrivals at Ukrainian ports remain positive.
Increase in Cargo Handling Volumes
According to USPA, as of January 20, the number of vessels nominated by maritime agents for entry into the ports of Greater Odesa exceeded the same indicator from last year by 9%. Absolute figures for vessel arrivals are not disclosed for security reasons.
In the first half of January 2025, Ukrainian ports processed approximately 2% more vessels compared to December 2024 and over 3% more than in the same period last year. Overall, since the beginning of the year, Ukrainian ports have handled 4.16 million tons of cargo, which is 5% higher than the figure for January 2024 and nearly 13% higher than the same period in December 2024.
The information circulated in the media that shipowners are suspending calls to Ukrainian deep-water ports amid intensified Russian shelling is not true.