In the first quarter of 2026, Ukrainian sea ports managed to handle over 21 million tons of cargo, achieving 98% of the plan despite ongoing attacks from the Russian Federation.
This is reported by Finway
Port Resilience Amid Hostile Shelling
According to the Deputy Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine, Minister of Community and Territorial Development Oleksii Kuleba, achieving such results was possible despite the challenging security situation. Since the beginning of the year, Ukrainian ports have been subjected to shelling on average every five days. As a result of the attacks, 193 port infrastructure facilities and 25 civilian vessels have been damaged. However, the operations of the sea ports continue and are maintaining the stability of logistics chains.
“In the first quarter of 2026, Ukrainian ports achieved 98% of the cargo handling plan – over 21 million tons of cargo. These figures were reached under difficult conditions. Since the beginning of the year, ports have been attacked on average every five days,” wrote Kuleba.
Main Types of Cargo and Container Transportation Dynamics
Traditionally, the largest share of cargo handling consists of grain shipments – over 11.6 million tons in the first three months of 2026. The metal products segment also demonstrates stable performance: 1.2 million tons of this product have been handled.
Particular attention has been paid to the growth of container transportation. During this period, over 63,000 TEUs were processed, which is 43% more than in the same period last year. This indicates a gradual recovery and development of transport infrastructure amid the war.
Since the opening of the Ukrainian Maritime Corridor in September 2023, over 190 million tons of cargo have been transported through it, of which more than 110 million tons are grain crops.
The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that these results are the outcome of the daily work of thousands of professionals in the port sector. The country’s leadership continues to take measures to ensure the stability of the ports and support key logistics routes.
It is worth noting that on the night of April 17, Russia launched another strike on the port in Izmail, resulting in damage to the infrastructure.