Ukrainian grain idles on the way to Constanta: railcars wait up to a week

Rail transport of Ukrainian grain to the Romanian port of Constanta is facing delays due to congestion at port terminals. Trains can wait several days for permission to be accepted, and the full wagon turnaround on the route from Ukraine to the port and back stretches to 10 days.

A representative of the Romanian company Unicom Tranzit described the situation during a meeting of "Ukrzaliznytsia" with carriers from Romania and Moldova on August 19.

According to her, the port of Constanta is currently loaded not only with grain but also with other cargo. Even after receiving customer approval, the terminal may schedule acceptance of a train only 2-5 days later, and in some cases the wait lasts up to a week.

"We send trains, and still the port does not accept them", explained the carrier's representative.

Ukrainian cargo has no priority

Unicom Tranzit also noted that at certain terminals in Constanta, Ukrainian grain has no priority. First they can handle trains with Romanian cargo, and only after that Ukrainian ones.

Specifically, the company representative mentioned the terminals ADM and Chimpex, near which several trains were waiting for the possibility of unloading at the time of the meeting.

Thus, the carrier denies the claim about priority for Ukrainian grain on the Romanian railway, which has recently caused discontent among some local farmers. According to the company's assessment, in practice the situation at individual port terminals may be the opposite.

Lack of wagons for Romanian gauge

Rolling stock remains an additional limitation. Unicom Tranzit has a limited number of grain hoppers for the European gauge of 1435 mm, since a significant part of the wagons is already working on domestic routes in Romania.

For the direction through the Vadul-Siret border crossing, the carrier currently has only two sets of narrow-gauge wagons. Part of the cargo has to be transported in wagons with replacement of wheel sets.

Considering the waiting at the port, the full cycle from Vadul-Siret to Constanta and back can take about 10 days, which limits the number of trips by the same rolling stock.

Meanwhile, demand for the Romanian railway route has surged. According to "Ukrzaliznytsia", in the first ten days of August alone, 492 wagons of grain were transferred through the Vadul-Siret - Dornesti crossing. This is more than during the previous seven months combined.

The Romanian direction takes on additional significance for Ukrainian exports against the backdrop of problems with sea logistics. The port of Constanta remains one of the key alternative points through which Ukrainian agricultural products can enter world markets.

Based on materials: Elevatorist