Ukraine's UDP shipping company to increase number of Danube agricultural export caravans

MOSCOW. Jan 23 (Interfax) - PJSC Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company (UDP) plans to increase the number of barge caravans and to extend the route to the Upper Danube, the company's head Dmitry Moskalenko said.

"The Danube grain route has been functioning non-stop. The next UDP caravan is being loaded in the port of Serbia's Novi Sad. [It consists of] a self-propelled vessel and five barges - a total of 9,000 tonnes of deadweight," Ukrainian media outlets quoted Moskalenko as saying in a social media post.

This caravan has delivered iron ore to Serbia and on its way back will be loaded with grain and will head to Romania's Constanta, he said.

It will transport mineral fertilizers, construction materials and other supplies from Constanta to Ukraine.

"Five UDP caravans are currently operating on this route. We plan to gradually increase their number. Following an upgrade of the first batch of self-propelled vessels, we will extend the route to the Upper Danube. This will make the lane longer, and the volume of shipping will also grow," Moskalenko said.