Romanian port Constanta making grand waves after reaching out to Ukraine

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At the largest terminal of the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta, a 63,000 tonne ship is loaded with grain, most of it from Ukraine, en route to Türkiye. It is just one of many ships that are docking in Constanta to pick up Ukrainian grain and metal ores.

Before 2022, almost none of the goods from Ukraine were shipped from Constanta, since Ukraine used its own Black Sea ports. But, due to a number of Russian drone and missile attacks, the port of Odessa is mostly out of business.

The Ukrainians then had to resort to using the neighboring Romanian port of Constanta for shipping.

In Constanta, we were met by Viorel Panait, the general manager of COMVEX, the largest cargo operator in the port of Constanta. 

In April 2022, the port of Constanta handled 820,000 tonnes of cargo per month. That figure jumped to around three million tonnes per month in August 2023, an increase unexpected, particularly during times when a different type of help was provided to Ukrainians.

"It was a sentiment of compassion towards Ukraine and Ukrainians," Panait told CGTN Europe. "Then we understood that beyond a stereotype, we have to provide shelter and food and we need to support them economically with the transport of their cargos."

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As there are no actual rail links connecting Ukraine and the port of Constanta, it was the trucks that had to carry all the goods from Ukraine to Romania. That created trouble, as the port was designed to handle rail and not truck cargo. 

The trucks were stranded, sometimes for days, waiting to unload, causing further problems, not just for Ukrainians but for local farmers as well.

Trucks were blocked in the port of Constanta, and weren't able to go in Romania and pick up the goods," independent journalist Elena Dumitru told CGTN Europe. "You had Romanian farmers also waiting for the same trucks to load their own shipments of cereal, to send them, to export them through Constanta."

Panait's company responded quickly and after four-and-a-half months built a new truck unloading and grain storage facilities. 

They admit that they seized the business opportunity, as the port of Odessa was rendered unusable. To keep the momentum going, the port of Constanta is building new roads, railways and terminal upgrades.

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