Ukraine plans to develop a private fleet to ensure agricultural exports

Ukraine plans to create conditions for the development of a private fleet that can ensure maritime transportation and export of products. The government believes that the state should not operate the fleet itself, but help businesses purchase vessels and operate on sea routes.

This was stated by Deputy Minister of Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine Andrii Kashuba during LFM 2026, reports AgroPortal.

According to him, there is currently no full-fledged alternative to sea routes through the ports of Greater Odesa to ensure Ukraine's export potential. Seaports remain the key route for exporting the bulk of agricultural products.

Meanwhile, Russian strikes on port infrastructure and vessels moving along the sea corridor significantly complicate the work of water logistics.

Businesses to be given the opportunity to purchase their own vessels

During the discussion, the possibility of joint purchase of vessels by the state and business for operation in the Black Sea was also discussed. According to Kashuba, this issue has already been worked on together with the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food.

At the same time, the Ministry of Development believes that the main operator of such a fleet should be the private sector.

"We, as the public sector, should mostly not operate the state fleet. We should create proper conditions so that businesses can both purchase new vessels and work on routes", - stated Kashuba.

The state and business are also working on temporary alternatives to the sea route. In particular, logistics issues are regularly considered within the framework of the agrarian headquarters and the headquarters for ensuring the operation of the sea corridor.

Among the areas of work are the development of railway transportation, the search for alternative routes, and solving logistics problems via the Danube.

Kashuba named security as a key condition for the further development of maritime transportation. At the same time, according to him, from the infrastructure point of view, Ukraine is ready to ensure the work of both private and public sectors.