First cargo of Ukrainian corn delivered to German port for shipment to Egypt

KYIV. May 24 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Czech railway operator CD Cargo has delivered a delivered a first consignment of 1,800 tonnes of corn from Ukraine to the German port of Brake for subsequent shipment to Egypt by grain carrier ship.

"CD Cargo has also joined in a new way of helping Ukraine. After delivering humanitarian aid and military equipment to Ukraine, we have now taken, in cooperation with other partners, the first train with corn from the Ukraine to the German port of Brake. From there, the shipment continued by ship to Egypt," the company said in a press release, posted on its website.

Czech publication zdopravy.cz said the change in logistics routes was needed to free up elevators in Ukraine to receive the new harvest and to prevent hunger in North Africa and Asia, which consume Ukrainian agricultural products.

"We see this as aid and, at the same time, a business opportunity," board chairman of CD Cargo Tomas Toth was quoted as saying. Ukraine cannot currently export grain the usual way through the Black Sea ports. "The new harvest is getting closer, and elevators in Ukraine are still full so a decision needs to be made on how to get at least some of the stocks by rail across Europe," he said.

Railway exports from Ukraine are challenging due to different gauges in the EU and Ukraine, as well as the insufficient capacity of logistics routes. "Firstly, there are different dimensions: carriers can either pick up wheeled bogies or reload the cargo. But transshipment options are limited. Border crossings are another bottleneck. Their capacity is significantly limited, for example, in the Elbe valley between Decin and Dresden. Unloading capacities in ports are not unlimited either," the publication said.