From Reni, downstream the Danube We know that a river port in Reni covers an area of nearly 95 hectares, and its berthing line is ca. four kilometers long. Despite such a powerful state-owned enterprise, after the outbreak of the large-scale war, a series of cargo owners arrived on the Danube, intending to build handling complexes.

Just in spring 2023, the company “Development Reni Terminal”, a member of the large Ukrainian group of companies “Kernel”, leased 11 hectares of land from Reni River Port downstream the Danube for 49 years. The investor announced its intention to build two berths and a complex for grain receiving, storage, and shipment next to the port. The estimated capacity will make up 60 thousand tons per month.

Further downstream, a handling complex of the company “Potoki” has already been built and is operating, followed by opening “Pivdenna” branch in the region. The estimated capacity of the terminal allows it to handle nearly two thousand tons of oil per day.

Even further downstream, one can see that the once-abandoned pier near the Viketu Strait has been reanimated, and cargo traffic also flows through such a complex. Of course, it is worth mentioning that a river port has appeared near the Orlivka-Isaccea ferry line. In total, to the left of Reni River Port, there are four more transshipment complexes.

From Reni, upstream the Danube.

Upstream, “Agro-Reni” is planning to build a universal handling complex. This enterprise has been operating on the territory of the port for over ten years. Its founder is the largest company in Moldova, SRL Rusagro-Prim, engaged in grain production and export. Moldovan grain through Reni River Port goes to Turkey, Italy, Greece, Egypt, and other countries.  Before the outbreak of the Great War, Agro-Reni built additional warehouses for grain storage on the port territory. Now the investor has decided to build a new multifunctional handling complex outside the port in order to work not only with grain but also with general cargo.

Recently, three more enterprises, previously mentioned at the beginning of this publication, have leased land in the same area. If all the plans become a reality, four more handling complexes will appear to the right of Reni. Although investors are already using more up-to-date high-tech equipment, someone aptly called such a phenomenon as reed ports.

A state-owned enterprise is not flexible.

The company “SK Acord” has been cooperating with Reni River Port for many years. Why did the company decide to invest considerable funds in the construction of its transshipment complex – “from scratch” and outside the port?

Oleksandr Stroya, CEO of “SK Acord”, notes, “Unfortunately, logistics are such that most often handling through Reni River Port is expensive, especially considering the cost of the port infrastructure. The state is not flexible in this regard. We have repeatedly said that tariffs need to be reviewed and reduced so that clients cannot leave. But it takes half a year to resolve such issues. Therefore, we have to develop in parallel our own terminal designated for dry cargo handling, both bulk and packaged, tared. We want to be more flexible in pricing, in order to offer the client acceptable conditions. Although we are still working in Reni River Port, the existing conditions do not suit us”.

“We are just killing the state-owned port”

Valentina Yepitrop, a member of Reni City Council, believes that reed ports are treated as an additional environmental burden on the river, which is not clean anyway, while private complexes are a direct threat to the state-owned port.

She says, “We all talk about the need to help Reni River Port as a city-forming enterprise, but we ourselves, by allocating land, contribute to reducing cargo traffic. We are just killing the state-owned port. I myself have worked in the port all my life, recently in a freight forwarding company, and we give an opportunity for the port to gain income. We are thinking about ways to earn salary and bonus by the dockers. Companies working in the port and wishing to leave it say that the services of the state enterprise are expensive. But there is a Port Council, which could, in my opinion, send a joint letter of port operators to the Ministry of Infrastructure with a proposal to reduce tariffs so that Reni River Port could become competitive with other Ukrainian ports.

Source: https://times.od.ua/rozvyvayetsya-popry-vijnu-bilya-reni-ta-na-dunayi-rozpochaly-masshtabne-budivnytstvo/