Ports in Ukraine’s Black Sea region of Odesa boosted cargo handling in 2023, amid the war with Russia, by 15 percent year-on-year, regional Governor Oleh Kiper said on Friday.
Kiper, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the ports processed more than 50 million tons of cargo last year.
Kiper said a large part of the cargo was farm goods sent to destinations in Europe, Asia and the United States.
He also said that more than 400 vessels had taken on cargo and passed through “corridors” overseen to facilitate and protect shipping — initially an itinerary organized with the assent of Russia and the United Nations and subsequently through an “alternative” corridor hugging Ukraine’s southern coast.
Earnings derived from grain shipments would be calculated in February, Kiper said.
There are three main ports in Odesa region – Odesa, Pivdennyi and Chornomorsk.
Ukraine’s embattled economy can weather the next few months until foreign aid arrives, but 2024 is certain to be tougher and Kyiv will need to rely more heavily on its own resources.
Ukraine hopes to plug 2024’s $43 billion budget deficit mostly with foreign financial aid including 18.5 billion euros from the European Union and more than $8 billion from a US package that also contains vital military assistance.
Since Russia invaded in February 2022, Kyiv has ploughed all of its revenue into defence and the military, while spending on everything from pensions to social payments has been covered by tens of billions of dollars of foreign aid.
