” data-title=”Long queues at the border, up to 7 days: how the blockade of ports is changing grain logistics from Ukraine” data-url=”https://kurkul.com/news/41903-chergi-na-kordoni-do-7-dniv-yak-blokada-portiv-zminyuye-logistiku-zerna-z-ukrayini”> Long queues at the border, up to 7 days: how the blockade of ports is changing grain logistics from Ukraine August 12, 2026 141 0
Amidst targeted Russian strikes on Ukrainian ports and cargo vessels, railways remain the sole reliable channel for grain export. To bolster this route, Ukraine is in negotiations with Moldova regarding the transportation of grain through its territory to the Romanian port of Constanța. This information is reported by Reuters, citing its own sources.
“The Ukrainian side has approached Moldovan authorities with a request for a 50% discount on the nominal railway tariff for grain transit. In return, the Moldovan railway operator seeks guarantees for minimum cargo volumes passing through their territory,” the material states.
Currently, the parties are coordinating timelines and volumes, while the Ukrainian side is concurrently gathering data from interested shippers on potential export volumes. Oleg Tofilat, former head of Moldovan Railways, estimates the potential of such a transit corridor at up to 4.5 million tons of grain annually.
“According to Ukrainian estimates, the route is capable of facilitating approximately 10% of the country’s total exports. This matter has already been discussed by Ukraine’s Minister of Restoration, Infrastructure, and Transport, Mykola Kalashnyk, and his Moldovan counterpart, Vladimir Bolea,” the publication reports.
Prime Minister of Moldova, Dorin Recean, in turn, urged not to miss the opportunity to earn millions of euros from transit and dismissed the concerns of local farmers regarding competition.
The search for new routes has become a forced measure: the blockade of the Greater Odesa ports has already shifted freight traffic to road routes, overwhelming land border crossings and extending queues at the border. On August 7, the number of trucks entering EU countries increased by almost 1.5 times, to 7,342 vehicles, with waiting times for departure from Ukraine sometimes reaching 7 days.
Read also: Sea grain exports plummeted by 60% in the first week of August – what does this mean for farmers
© Iryna Koshkina, Kurkul.com, 2026.
#grain export#logistics#Iryna Koshkina