Dealing with the War’s Impacts on Ukraine’s Ports: How to Get More Grain to the World
ITF Transport Policy Responses to the War in Ukraine, No. 1
The war in Ukraine has severe impacts on transport and trade. Ukraine’s transport networks suffer ongoing destruction and global supply chains experience serious disruptions. This ITF Transport Policy Response to the War in Ukraine discusses the impacts on Ukraine's ports. It concludes that an international agreement creating safe maritime corridors in the Black Sea would best safeguard grain exports from Ukraine.
Read more about the ITF's work on transport and the war in Ukraine.
Policy Insights
- Ukraine is the world’s third-largest grain exporter but the war has rendered most Ukrainian ports unusable. Grain exports have plummeted.
- Many countries in Africa and Asia depend on Ukrainian grain. The drop in exports has driven up food prices and raised fears of shortages and hunger.
- Ukraine can shift some grain exports to European ports with spare capacity. However, rail transport is complicated because of different rail gauges.
- Exporting Ukrainian grain via foreign ports adds transport costs of USD 150 or more per tonne. This is triple the average intercontinental shipping cost.
- An international agreement creating safe maritime corridors in the Black Sea would best safeguard grain exports from Ukraine.
| Date of Publication | 11 July 2022 |
|---|---|
| Number of Pages | 5 |
| Document |
 ukraine-black-sea-ports.pdf |
| Publication Type | Policy Brief |
| Publisher | ITF/OECD |