Mykola Kalashnyk held a meeting in Odesa dedicated to the operation of the maritime corridor and the stability of logistics

Minister for Recovery, Infrastructure and Transport Mykola Kalashnyk held a meeting in Odesa on the operation of the maritime corridor, the stability of logistics and the safety of navigation under conditions of systemic Russian attacks.

The meeting brought together Members of Parliament of Ukraine, representatives of the command of the Naval and Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Odesa Regional Military Administration, the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, Ukrzaliznytsia, the State Service for Maritime, Inland Waterway Transport and Shipping, the Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company and the port business.

Participants discussed the current situation with the operation of ports and the maritime corridor, the protection of port infrastructure and civilian navigation, as well as decisions necessary to preserve the stable operation of Ukrainian logistics.

Russia continues to systematically attack Ukrainian port infrastructure and civilian navigation. Ports, berths, civilian vessels, anchorages and approaches to ports are under strikes. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 1,173 port infrastructure facilities and 274 civilian vessels have been either damaged or partially destroyed.

After July 22, cargo handling in the ports of Greater Odesa decreased more than 15 times. This directly affects Ukrainian exports, the economy and the stability of international logistics chains, in particular the supply of Ukrainian agricultural products to world markets.

A separate block of the meeting was devoted to the operation of the port business under conditions of constant threat of Russian attacks. Among the key issues were the protection of workers, vessels and port infrastructure, financial conditions of enterprises, insurance of navigation, compensation for damages and the cost of logistics.

“Our task is to preserve the operation of ports and the ability for business to continue working even under the current level of threats. For this, concrete decisions are needed: from the safety of navigation and protection of port infrastructure to insurance and economic conditions of operation. In parallel, we are strengthening alternative routes for Ukrainian cargo, primarily through railways and Danube ports,” noted Mykola Kalashnyk.

During the meeting, possibilities of reorienting part of cargo flows to alternative routes were also discussed. This concerns, above all, increasing the use of railway logistics and the potential of Danube ports.

As a result of the meeting, participants identified problematic issues that today restrain the operation of maritime and alternative logistics, as well as decisions that require further elaboration at the state level jointly with the military, the port sector and business.