Ukrainian ports have been operating under constant attacks by the Russian military for five years now. Consequently, container logistics involving sensitive cargo (such as oil in flexitanks, IMO cargo, and refrigerated goods) has become highly risky. This fact was highlighted by Pavlo Mirzak, Associate Partner at Global Ocean Link, during his speech at the “Fat & Oil Industry 2026 European Edition” conference.
Under these circumstances, Ukraine is forced to utilize European ports for its exports, including Gdansk/Gdynia, Constanta, Koper, Rijeka, Hamburg, and Trieste.
“Today, every fourth import container enters Ukraine via Poland and returns fully loaded. Therefore, Poland holds a leading position in handling Ukrainian exports, with intermodal transportation making up the bulk of Ukraine-Poland transit,” P. Mirzak emphasized.
According to him, the development of the Polish route is largely driven by the fact that the Ukrainian-Polish border possesses the best infrastructure for containers and a high railway capacity.
Among the advantages of cooperating through the Polish ports of Gdynia and Gdansk, Pavlo noted their capability to accommodate vessels from leading container carriers, provide direct shipping services to the Far East, and ensure the availability of empty containers for transport to Ukraine, among other benefits.
“However, there are also disadvantages. For instance, the port of Gdansk lacks dedicated time slots for intermodal trains. Furthermore, it should be noted that over the past six months, Polish customs have increased the number of border inspections, particularly for food products. The resulting additional costs can range from €250 to €350 per container. Another challenge is the shortage of empty 20-foot containers in Ukraine, which creates a high demand for them to be transported from Poland,” P. Mirzak stated.
