Grain shipping from Ukraine's Danube ports becomes cheaper
MOSCOW. Oct 16 (Interfax) - The freight prices for shipping agricultural products from the Danube ports have dropped by $2-$3 per tonne over the past week, Ukrainian media reported with reference to the Ukrainian Grain Association, which in its turn refers to Atria Brokers data.
The rates for transportation of corn by coasters carrying 6,000 tonnes from the Reni and Izmail ports to the eastern coast of Italy as of October 13 fell by $3 per tonne to $65-$68 per tonne. The rates to Spain and Seville dropped by $2 per tonne to $71-$73 per tonne and $78-$80 per tonne respectively. The freight rates to the Eastern Mediterranean coast amounted to $65 per tonne versus $65-$67 per tonne last week.
The rates to Marmara standing at $55 per tonne, the eastern coast of Greece at $57-$59 per tonne, Crete at $61-$63 per tonne, and to Israel at $70 per tonne were stable.
The rates for Handysize transportation of corn to the Eastern Mediterranean coast declined by $2 per tonne to $58 per tonne. The freight to Israel and the eastern coast of Italy remained unchanged at $60-$62 per tonne, and to the Mediterranean coast of Spain at $65-$67 per tonne.
The freight for Panamax transportation of corn from Odessa, Yuzhny and Chernomorsk towards southern China amounted to $72 per tonne, and towards the Mediterranean coast of Spain $51-$54 per tonne.
The number of vessels at the Izmail port (Odessa region) on Monday went up 2.9 times to 90, and another ten vessels are expected to arrive, Ukrainian media also reported, citing the MarineTraffic monitoring application.
Meanwhile, there were 12 vessels in the Reni port (Odessa region) on Monday against ten last week. One more vessel is expected to arrive.
As reported, the Greater Odessa ports have partially resumed operations after the termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Thirty-one vessels with a total deadweight of 1.3 million tonnes arrived at the Greater Odessa ports through a temporary corridor provided since September 16, head of the Monitoring Group from the Institute for Black Sea Strategic Studies Andrei Klimenko said. Seventeen ships have already left the ports with supplies and are heading for or have already arrived at their destination.
It was noted that thanks to the operation of the temporary corridor towards the Greater Odessa ports, Ukrainian Railways boosted grain exports by a third up to 1.075 million tonnes in September.