Romanian company denies Ukrainian grain gets rail priority to Constanta

Ukrainian grain does not have priority in rail shipments to Romania’s Port of Constanta and is effectively transported on a residual basis, a representative of Romanian company Unicom Tranzit said during a meeting between Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) and Romanian and Moldovan carriers on Aug. 19, Elevatorist.com reported.

Context. Romanian farmers and traders earlier said Ukrainian grain had been given priority in rail shipments to Constanta, putting their ability to fulfil export contracts at risk.

According to the representative, some terminals at the Port of Constanta are overloaded, forcing trains carrying Ukrainian grain to wait from several days to a week before being accepted.

The company also said it has a limited fleet of narrow-gauge grain wagons, as most of them are being used on domestic routes in Romania.

“Right now, what we are sending are only wagons that require bogie exchange. There are only two train sets for Vadul-Siret on the narrow-gauge line. Unfortunately, the Port of Constanta is congested not only with grain but also with other cargoes. And all the trains are simply standing idle en route. If we receive port acceptance from all customers, the port gives the green light and accepts the train in Constanta in about two to three days, or even five days. We send the trains, but the port still does not accept them,” Unicom Tranzit said.

Because of the delays, the full wagon turnaround cycle on the Vadul-Siret–Constanta–Vadul-Siret route can take up to 10 days.

In addition, according to the company, some Constanta terminals unload trains carrying Romanian cargoes first, followed by those carrying Ukrainian cargoes. This is reportedly the case at the ADM and Chimpex terminals, where several trains carrying Ukrainian grain are waiting to be unloaded.