Category: Freight

Improving efficiency at Greater Odesa: Daily grain railcar unloading rose to 1,196 units (+70 w/w), with loading up to 1,232 units per day. Potential bottlenecks ahead: Grain railcars en route to Greater Odesa ports fell sharply by 311 units to 10,700, hinting at possible supply chain or origination issues. Diversification via Danube ports: Rail traffic…

Debt reduction: IMK cut its loan portfolio from $140 million (2014) to $18 million by end-2025 and targets $10 million by end-2026. Self-funded CAPEX: The company is pivoting from external borrowing to self-financing logistics and environmental projects. Rail logistics focus: 75 EBRD-financed grain carriers, acquired in 2023, are currently used mainly in Ukraine’s domestic logistics…

Export Scale: Astarta shipped over 870,000 tons of agricultural products to 48 countries in 2025, underscoring resilient Black Sea export activity. Soybean Growth: Soybean exports rose 15% year-on-year, driven by strong demand from Central European markets for oil and meal. Diversified Routes: Corn, wheat, and sugar flows were spread across European, Asian, and MENA destinations,…

Grain car rates up 5%: Ukrzaliznytsia will raise grain car rental to UAH 2,100/day from March 1, tightening margins for grain exporters. Food tank cars up 12%: Tank car rates for food products jump to UAH 1,400/day, signaling stronger demand or reduced fleet availability. Targeted relief in other segments: Flour car rates drop 42% and…

Export Surge: Uzbekistan’s wheat flour exports jumped 42.3% year-on-year to 1.6 million tons worth $441.7 million in 2025. Import Decline: Flour imports fell 10.3% to 422.6 thousand tons, signaling rising domestic milling capacity and import substitution. Regional Tensions: Kazakh millers report increased competition as Uzbek processors use Kazakh wheat for flour re-exports. Freight Impact: Expanded…

Brazil-Bangladesh route opened: Cofco International completed its first-ever 40,000-ton soybean shipment from Brazil to Bangladesh. Feed demand support: Meghna Group of Industries will use the soybeans for animal feed targeting both domestic and export markets. Competitive pressure: Brazil’s market diversification into South Asia adds competitive headwinds for Black Sea oilseed and meal suppliers in secondary…

UAH 2.8 billion in new loans: Ukrainian SMEs secured 559 state-guaranteed portfolio loans in January 2026, supporting working capital and investment needs. UAH 79.3 billion outstanding: A total of 20,711 active loans are now being serviced under the portfolio guarantee program across 28 banks. 56% of guarantee capacity used: Principal liabilities of UAH 34 billion…

Policy Duration: Kyrgyz Railways will apply substantial freight discounts from February 1 through December 31, 2026, under Order No. 38 of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. 29% Short-Haul Discount: All export, import, and domestic rail shipments over 1–30 km within Kyrgyzstan receive a 29% tariff reduction, regardless of rolling stock ownership or payment structure.…

Russian exports lag 13%: Grain shipments are running notably behind last year despite a record harvest, pointing to weaker near-term export momentum. Quota under-fulfillment: The 20 million tonne export quota for 2025/26 is projected to reach only about 17 million tonnes, reflecting structural and logistical constraints. Global oversupply pressures freight: Global grain overproduction and softer…