Hapag-Lloyd resumes shipping from Ukraine

At first, only small feeder vessels will operate in the Black Sea between Romania and Ukraine
Since the start of the Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2022, most Ukrainian ports have been cut off from global carriers. Now Hamburg-based Hapag-Lloyd is restoring maritime connectivity, tagesschau reports.

Hapag-Lloyd will start operating between Romania and Ukraine with the help of Odessa-based Iteris Feeders.
Initially, only small feeder vessels, which hold around 1,100 containers each, will operate between Romania and Ukraine across the Black Sea. Hapag-Lloyd has partnered with a Ukrainian logistics company operating the line, as has the Danish shipping company Maersk. The port of destination is not Odessa, Ukraine's largest port, but just to the west is Chernomorsk.

The Russian military has shelled Odessa several times in recent months, where HHLA, a Hamburg-based port group, among others, operates a large container terminal. Hapag-Lloyd expresses its satisfaction that the sea route to Ukraine is at least partially reopened after more than 800 days. The main commodities transported are agricultural products, in particular wheat and soya. For more than two years, exports from Ukraine were almost exclusively by train or lorry.