BROKEN ukrainian supply chains are causing forwarders to look for new options, with many looking toward Bulgaria to get the cargo in and out of the war-torn country, reports London's Loadstar.
There are thousands of export containers stuck in Ukrainian ports as local freight forwarders look for routes to move cargo.
The port of Varna in Bulgaria is 150 kilometres south of Constanta.
The extra cost of traveling to Varna will be compensated by cheaper cargo handling charges, affordable stevedore services, and the availability of warehouse space there.
'If Ukrainian ports are blocked for too long, we can expect a rapid development of both warehouse facilities on the Poland-Ukrainian border and trucking companies to compensate,' said Odessa-based consultancy Informall .
Many Ukrainian import containers are arriving in the Baltic port of Gdynia in Poland and Hamburg on Germany's North Sea coast.
Though export containers are leaving Ukrainian terminals for Constanta via road and rail-river connections, importing boxes into the war-torn country remains uncertain.
'Some shipping lines are allowing import containers to enter Ukraine but under certain conditions, such as a cash deposit against equipment, or an extra premium in the insurance policy,' said Informall .
Meanwhile, the rail-river service to Constanta via Izmail has had problems.
The service was announced at the end of March, but there are limitations affecting the number of containers that can be handled.
The plan involves a train connection from Odessa to Izmail, on the Danube, with barge connections to Constanta.
The service was developed as a temporary solution for Ukrainian shippers using container equipment for their cargo.
However, the port of Izmail was designed to handle project and bulk cargo.
These require a lot of storage space and must be accumulated before the barge arrives.
'As a way to accommodate the first batch of containers, port staff made a decision to transfer them from the trains directly onto two river barges with a capacity of 60 TEU each. If the port operation is successfully adapted to handle containers, it is projected to add two more barges, totalling 240 TEU per shipment,' said a source.
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There are thousands of export containers stuck in Ukrainian ports as local freight forwarders look for routes to move cargo.
The port of Varna in Bulgaria is 150 kilometres south of Constanta.
The extra cost of traveling to Varna will be compensated by cheaper cargo handling charges, affordable stevedore services, and the availability of warehouse space there.
'If Ukrainian ports are blocked for too long, we can expect a rapid development of both warehouse facilities on the Poland-Ukrainian border and trucking companies to compensate,' said Odessa-based consultancy Informall .
Many Ukrainian import containers are arriving in the Baltic port of Gdynia in Poland and Hamburg on Germany's North Sea coast.
Though export containers are leaving Ukrainian terminals for Constanta via road and rail-river connections, importing boxes into the war-torn country remains uncertain.
'Some shipping lines are allowing import containers to enter Ukraine but under certain conditions, such as a cash deposit against equipment, or an extra premium in the insurance policy,' said Informall .
Meanwhile, the rail-river service to Constanta via Izmail has had problems.
The service was announced at the end of March, but there are limitations affecting the number of containers that can be handled.
The plan involves a train connection from Odessa to Izmail, on the Danube, with barge connections to Constanta.
The service was developed as a temporary solution for Ukrainian shippers using container equipment for their cargo.
However, the port of Izmail was designed to handle project and bulk cargo.
These require a lot of storage space and must be accumulated before the barge arrives.
'As a way to accommodate the first batch of containers, port staff made a decision to transfer them from the trains directly onto two river barges with a capacity of 60 TEU each. If the port operation is successfully adapted to handle containers, it is projected to add two more barges, totalling 240 TEU per shipment,' said a source.
SeaNews Turkey
