Ukraine seeks to re-establish grain corridor through Moldova to Romania's Constanţa port

Moldova’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development (MIDR) is in talks with the Ukrainian side regarding the railway transport of grain in transit through the national territory to the port of Constanţa in Romania, announced Moldpres, citing MIDR. The annual freight under discussion stands around 4.5 million tonnes.

According to Reuters, citing sources from both countries, Kyiv has asked Chisinau for a transport tariff reduced by 50% compared to the list prices charged by Moldovan Railways, and the two sides are still discussing terms and volumes.

MIDR assured that any decision will seek economic benefits for both parties, while the shares of the port operators in Romania potentially involved in the transfer have increased.

The institution argued that the Moldovan Railway has an important economic opportunity to attract additional volumes of freight, and the application of temporary tariff reductions for large transport volumes is a practice used internationally.

"Under the conditions of this tariff reduction, at the level currently discussed with the Ukrainian side, the additional volumes that will transit the Republic of Moldova will generate a good profit for the Moldovan Railway," MIDR noted.

In Romania, the shares of port operators Socep and Comvex, listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange, increased by up to 12% after information regarding a possible railway corridor for the transport of Ukrainian grains to Constanţa, where the two companies operate.

Socep (SOCP) shares rose 11.8% on Tuesday, August 11, and Comvex (CMVX) shares rose 8.3%, after Reuters wrote that Ukraine was analysing the transport of grain by rail through Moldova to Constanta.

"Investors are probably counting on the handling of larger volumes by the companies present in the port of Constanţa, which already has a history in recent years for the transit of large volumes of Ukrainian cereals," said Antonio Oroian, broker at Goldring, cited by Ziarul Financiar.

Former head of Moldovan Railways Oleg Tofilat estimated that such a corridor could handle 4.5 million tons per year, while Ukrainian estimates indicate about 10% of the country's exports. The Agriculture Ministry in Kyiv has reduced its export forecast for the 2026-2027 season to 38-40 million tons, from 43 million, due to Russian attacks on ports.