Cargo flows of agricultural products from Ukraine to Klaipeda via Poland rise to 15,000 tonnes per month - Lithuanian Railways

VILNIUS. Sept 30 (Interfax/BNS) - The volume of Ukrainian agricultural products transported through Poland to the Port of Klaipeda has reached 15,000 tonnes per month, Lithuanian Railways CEO Egidijus Lazauskas told BNS.

Grain is predominantly being transported to Klaipeda and fuel back from it at present, Lazauskas said. "The Ukrainians are transporting grain to Lithuania as an alternative to Odesa, and they transport diesel fuel home from Klaipeda, because there's enormous demand for it in Ukraine right now, and there are problems with supplies," he said.

Around 50,000 tonnes of agricultural products had been transported by September after transport company LTG Cargo began transporting agricultural products from Ukraine to the Port of Klaipeda through Poland in May, Lazauskas said. "The amount of this cargo has increased in recent months and reached approximately 15,000 tonnes per month, and around 200,000 tonnes could be transported per year," he said.

Lithuanian Railways told BNS that 31 trains arrived in Lithuania from Ukraine between the beginning of May and the end of August.

Lazauskas declined to comment on the plans of Igor Udovickij, a shareholder in Klaipeda port operator Bulk Cargo Terminal (BKT), concerning BKT possibly transshipping around 1 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain per month, or around 10 million tonnes prior to next year's harvest.

"It's difficult to comment on such statements, as you need to have quite a lot of orders," Lazauskas said.

Udovickij confirmed to BNS last week that BKT was ready to ship millions of tonnes of Ukrainian grain.

"The BKT terminal is ready to immediately accept Ukrainian grain, all preparatory work has been completed, and the terminal is certified to shipp grains and other crops, for example, corn, sunflower seeds, groats, and others. BKT can accept and unload up to 15 trains daily and simultaneously load three Panamax tankers," Udovickij told BNS in response to an inquiry.

Logistics specialists have calculated that only around 1 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain can currently be shipped through Lithuania per year, as the country's infrastructure, its railways first of all, are not prepared for such large amounts.