Polish infrastructure is not ready for Ukrainian exports

The total volume of exports through Polish ports decreased by 1%, due to the unpreparedness of the infrastructure: the country lacks capacity to handle cargo both at the border and in the ports, and the infrastructure itself is designed for imports, not exports.

This is reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the commercial director of "Metinvest" Dmytro Nikolayenko.

"Poland could receive 70 million tons of exports per year, which Ukrainian ports lost due to the war. But the total volume of exports through Polish ports did not increase, and even decreased by 1% due to the unpreparedness of the infrastructure: there is not enough capacity to handle cargo both at the border and and in ports, and the infrastructure itself is designed for import, not export," Nikolayenko explained.

He said that due to the blockade of the Black and Azov seas, the Metinvest company began to look for new types of transport for export, but currently alternative routes are very difficult.

"Currently, there are two routes. The first is to the northern ports of Poland, the second is to the southern ports of Romania. You can also use the Croatian ports, but their capacity is much weaker than that of the ports in Ukraine, and all logistical issues become much more complicated," says Nikolayenko .

He explains: Ukraine has a wide railway track, while Europe has a narrow one. This affects not only overloading, but also product storage. What's more: when cargo such as pellets or iron ore concentrate overloads the grabs, impurities can get into the products, and cleaning is an expensive process. Because of this, only in 2022 Metinvest lost more than 19 million dollars, says Nikolayenko.

"The route through Poland entails serious logistical difficulties for us. Last winter, warehouses in Polish ports were filled with coal, and it was impossible to load our products. There are also problems with the speed of movement of goods - it is half the speed we are used to in Ukraine," he emphasized.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 17/08/2023