Leading Ukrainian agribusiness Nibulon has signed a contract with the Port of Chornomorsk for the trans-shipment of up to 1M tonnes of agricultural products in preparation for the 2025/26 marketing year.
The contract was a significant step in shaping a logistics model that would allow it to maintain continuity of exports despite the blockade of its own terminal hub, the company said on 13 June.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the ports of Mykolaiv and Kherson were used to transport a significant portion of Ukrainian agricultural exports, especially to countries most dependent on Ukrainian grain.
The blockade of the ports had paralysed maritime trade in southern Ukraine, blocking over 100 ships, including foreign vessels, and prevented recovery in regional areas.
Located on the shores of the Sukhoi Estuary, 19km west of Odessa on the Black Sea, the Port of Chornomorsk is one of the largest ports in Ukraine.
Nibulon director of logistics Serhii Kalkutin said the company worked with over 3,000 small- and medium-sized agricultural producers, helping them to plan under challenging conditions.
The company said negotiations with other port operators were ongoing and it was open to new partnerships.
Nibulon is one of Ukraine’s largest grain and oilseed growers and traders and is active in wheat, corn, barley, sunflower, soyabean, rapeseed and sorghum.
As well as grain and oilseed processing, its activities also include logistics, storage and shipment.
It runs its own fleet, has a total grain storage capacity of 2.04M tonnes and operates a network of trans-shipment terminals and grain and oilseeds complexes in the country.
Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Nibulon was exporting nearly 4M tonnes/year but exports plummeted in the early stages of the war although shipments rebounded to 3.1M tonnes in 2024, according to a 17 June World Grain report.
One of the 20 largest companies in Ukraine, the company produces over 300,000 tonnes/year of grain and oilseeds from a planted area of 51,908ha, according to its website. Most of the harvest is exported, with the remainder meeting livestock farming demand.
