The liberation of Ukraine's right bank gives our country back access to the ports of Mykolaiv and Kherson. Will it be possible to resume exporting our goods through these ports in the near future and will the Kingsburg Spit be an obstacle to this? Ukrainian Radio was looking for answers to these questions together with Viktor Medved, director of the consulting company William-Invest-Expert.
"The issue now is that we need to take an inventory at all ports to see how well they are equipped, what equipment is intact. Most of the enterprises were under occupation, so they have damage: both from impacts and fires. Also, there were no scheduled inspections and these ports have not been in operation for a year. All of these mechanisms need to be maintained and inspected in accordance with state labor safety requirements. The issue of mine clearance is also acute. Therefore, I would not make any predictions about their use in the near future," said Viktor Medvid.
He emphasized that the enterprises were not functioning during the entire period of occupation, so there is no up-to-date information on their readiness for operation: "At present, due to the fact that de-occupation actions have been carried out, the priority task is to conduct an inventory and prepare.
If we talk about how long scheduled repairs take, it takes up to 45 days at similarly sized enterprises, depending on the availability of the relevant spare parts. Therefore, I believe that due to the lack of scheduled work and logistical problems with the provision of appropriate machinery and equipment, it will take at least 60 days for the company to start operating."
"I think the inspections of enterprises have already begun. Literally the day after Kherson was liberated, I think the government should have paid attention to this strategic hub first. It so happened that the most economically feasible logistics, the nearest point of grain unloading, if we talk about Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kirovohrad, and Dnipro regions, is Mykolaiv. There are powerful enterprises there, such as Nibulon and others, which used the services of the respective ports," Medved explained.
In conclusion, the expert said that before the full-scale invasion, an average of 25 million tons of cargo, including transshipment, passed through the port of Mykolaiv: "The port is an infrastructure facility where quite a few companies operate. Of course, the main cargo was grain and metal, construction materials."
"After the restoration, I think the freed ports will start with a million tons of grain and then increase their capacity to 5 million in the near future. If there are appropriate orders, volumes, and ship freight, then 10 million tons are possible," Viktor Medved summarized.
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