Pivdenny Port Oil Spill Halts Sunflower Oil Exports

• Operational Disruption: Pivdenny port waters are temporarily closed following a sunflower oil spill caused by recent infrastructure attacks.
• Containment Efforts: Specialized vessels and containment booms are deployed, with cleanup and remediation operations ongoing.
• Export Risk: The suspension of Pivdenny’s operations is bearish for Ukrainian sunflower oil exports, with potential congestion at alternative ports.

Pivdenny Port Incident Overview

The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA) reported on December 24 that cleanup operations are underway at Pivdenny port after a vegetable oil spill was detected in port waters. The spill resulted from infrastructure damage sustained during recent attacks on the port facility, forcing a temporary suspension of operations.

Following stabilization of the security situation, specialists deployed containment booms across affected water areas. Specialized pollutant collection vessels are actively working to remove the spilled sunflower oil, and the port’s waters remain closed to vessel traffic until remediation is complete.

USPA stressed that the spilled product is vegetable oil, an organic substance subject to natural biodegradation. In coordination with relevant services, the authority is implementing containment and monitoring measures to prevent further spread and to manage safety risks amid changing weather and security conditions.

Market Impact and Logistics Outlook

Market Impact: Bearish for Ukrainian Sunflower Oil Exports

The closure of Pivdenny port creates immediate supply chain disruption for Ukrainian sunflower oil shipments. As one of the country’s key export terminals for vegetable oils, Pivdenny’s temporary suspension will likely delay loadings and increase logistics costs for exporters.

Exporters may be forced to redirect cargoes to alternative Black Sea ports such as Chornomorsk or Odesa, which could raise the risk of congestion, longer waiting times, and higher freight and demurrage costs. The uncertainty surrounding the duration of the outage—dependent on both cleanup progress and the broader security environment—adds further risk to export scheduling and freight planning for sunflower oil and related products.

Source: Market Data