Ukrainian Danube Shipping Co, Romania's TTS to start offshore crop transshipment at Constanta

MOSCOW. Oct 20 (Interfax) - Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company or UDP has signed a frame agreement with Romania's TTS Group S.A. to transship crops from barges to ships at offshore moorings for export at the port of Constanta.

Dmitry Moskalenko, the head of UDP, said on social media that the company had been working closely with Romania, carrying out more than half its export shipments via its port since the start of 2022.

"A first meeting has taken place with representatives of the Romanian TTS Group S.A. The partners confirmed the possibility of transshipment at the Constanta offshore buoy moorings from barge to ship and UDP has received the corresponding price quotes. Offshore transshipment will allow UDP to speed fleet turnover significantly, because queueing to unload at the port terminal usually takes too long," he said.

Moskalenko also said that thanks to the agreement, UDP would able to offer Ukrainian farmers or traders the whole turnkey export logistics chain - from transshipment of agricultural products at the country's river port to loading them onto ships in Romania.

He said UDP's new logistics model in collaboration with TTS allowed it to compete successfully with direct shipments of sea vessels from Ukraine's Izmail, since Ukraine's river ports cannot handle the large ships that are able to enter Constanta.

Moskalenko said TTS Group owned the largest river fleet on the Danube with almost 500 vessels with a total capacity of 800,000 tonnes. The group has its own terminals in Constanta and seven Danube river ports. It also owns eight floating cranes.

A TTS floating crane began operating in Constanta in July to transfer crops arriving from Ukraine along the Danube from barges to commercial ships for further shipment to third countries.

UDP carries out over 30% of shipments on the Danube. Its fleet consists of almost 400 self-propelled and non-self-propelled river and 30 sea vessels.