For the first time since the beginning of the full-scale war, three ships with the products of Ukrainian steelmakers managed to break through the naval blockade of Ukraine arranged by the aggressor country. In particular, as part of the cargo, 30 000 tons of rolled stock produced by PJSC “Zaporizhstal” are sent to customers.
The vessels Primus, Anna Tereza and Ocean Courtesy, which have been blocked in Ukrainian ports since February 24, 2022, left Odesa and “Pivdennyi” ports. These ships became, respectively, the second, third and fourth ships that managed to leave Ukrainian ports after the termination of the “grain initiative”.
The Ukrainian business managed to free the ships from a year and a half captivity thanks to the joint efforts of the Office of the President, the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other involved law enforcement agencies of Ukraine.
At “Zaporizhstal”, such an event is regarded as the first decisive step towards the restoration of sea exports of Ukrainian steel.
“Restoration of sea exports is vital for national producers of Ukraine. After all, expanding the presence of the Ukrainian manufacturer on world markets is a way to feed the Ukrainian economy with foreign exchange earnings from exports, strengthen budgets with additional tax deductions, and guarantee stable employment and income for thousands of Ukrainians,” said Roman Slobodyanyuk, General Director of “Zaporizhstal”of Metinvest Group.
On board the unblocked ships are the products of Ukrainian steelmakers and miners, which were produced even before the start of a full-scale war. Namely, it is more than 76 thousand tons of rolled stock produced by “Azovstal”, “Zaporizhstal”, “Kametstal” and “ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih” Steel Woks, as well as 172 thousand tons of iron ore concentrate produced at MPP of Metinvest Group. Now Ukrainian steel and iron ore concentrate are on the way to foreign buyers who paid for the products even before the start of Russian aggression.
Please note that before the full-scale war, more than 70% of the total volume of metallurgical products was exported by “Zaporizhstal” Steel Works from Ukraine through the sea ports of Odesa, Mykolaiv, and others. In 2021, “Zaporizhstal” sent 2.1 million tons of cast iron and rolled stock through sea ports to 56 countries of the world, the largest of which are the USA, Turkey, the UAE, Bulgaria, Italy, and Spain.