ODESA, DECEMBER 15th, 2010, CONTEXT-PRICHERNOMORIE — According to Management Consulting Group useless competing with Europe without unified transport development policy for the Danube ports

The press-service informed, «Ukrzaliznytsya considers it appropriate to focus on the development of the rail infrastructure adjacent to the port where you can count on the growth of cargo traffic, and to abandon unpromising directions. Experts believe that such a policy will soon lead to fruition in the form of increased volumes of export and transit traffic in 2015 up to 18-25 million tons per year. As a result, foreign currency earnings from transit to Ukraine, respectively, will increase by USD 650-800 million a year from exports of transportation on 1,8-2,5 billion per year.

Ports in Ukraine are one of the main components of the transportation system. Having a favourable geographic location, shippers from near or far abroad traditionally send their goods through the territory of our country. Over 70% of them are exactly in the direction of the ports (it is mostly heavy oil and crude oil). Moreover, the Ukrainian ports — mandatory element in ensuring the export of domestic steelmakers, miners, oil and grain traders, etc. About 80% of the Ukrainian metal is exported to Europe, North Africa, the Middle and Far East, passing through the domestic transshipment ports.

Port site «Big Odessa» (Odesa, Illichivsk, Southern sea trade ports) is the largest Ukrainian port and industrial complex. Here they form a huge area of freight to the ports of Northern Europe, North and Latin America, Southeast Asia, the Far East. Ports have a favourable geo-economic position at the junction of sea, river, rail, road and pipeline routes in the area of transport convergence of navigable rivers Danube, Dnieper, Southern Bug, Dniester and the only one in the north-western Black Sea deep-water approach with guaranteed depths greater than 20 m. carrying capacity of ships here — up to 100 tons

Through the Danube ports are mainly Russian and Ukrainian transit goods exports, which go in the Danube countries, the Nordic countries and in countries the Mediterranean and Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Middle East and North Africa. However, to expect that European goods will go through our Danube ports on international routes between Europe and Asia is not necessary. Europe has made its choice in favor of the Romanian port of Constanta. There emerged a powerful staging enclave, where they had been invested tens of billions of euros. In light of losing the fight for Ukrainian cargo traffic in the Danube Basin, investment in ports are losing attractiveness, and the increase of railway infrastructure capacity does not make sense. In addition, the geographical and territorial conditions strongly limit the development of railways in the region.