Ukraine Plans to Lease Out the Black Sea Port of Chornomorsk
Ukraine has unveiled a 40-year concession plan for its Black Sea port of Chornomorsk. The details of this project were presented by Ukrainian government officials at an investment forum in Warsaw, Poland last month.
The Ministry of Development delegation said that the lease initiative is aimed at modernizing and expanding terminal infrastructure in Chornomorsk port. The concession will cover two terminals - a container terminal and a multipurpose terminal - with a potential of handling up to 760,000 TEU and over 5 million tons of cargo annually. The concession auction will be held in the second quarter of 2025, and a contract with the winner is expected to be signed in the fourth quarter of this year.
The lease project has been prepared with the help of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Tender documents are ready outlining the terms of participation, risk structure and guarantees of state support.
“Despite ongoing military threats, the seaport sector has demonstrated exceptional resilience, maintaining significant cargo volumes. The concession of the container terminal in the port of Chornomorsk is an opportunity for investors to become part of the new logistics system in the Black Sea,” said Andrii Kashuba, Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories.
The lease will complement the progress made with the new Black Sea corridor, as the government plans to diversify cargo routes and improve customs efficiency. Ukraine launched the Black Sea corridor in August 2023 after Russia withdrew from the UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative. This alternative trade corridor has proved resilient, with Ukraine using it to export almost 73 million tons of grain for the last two years.
As part of the greater ports of Odessa, Chornomorsk is a strategic maritime hub and a lifeline for Ukrainian global trade. The ports of Greater Odessa - including Pivdennyi, Chornomorsk and Odessa - continue to handle the highest cargo volumes for Ukrainian trade. For instance, out of 23 million tons of cargo handled by Ukrainian ports in the first quarter of 2025, 20.7 million tons was processed by the ports of Greater Odessa, according to data by the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority. This includes 10.6 million tons in Pivdennyi, 6.6 million tons in Chornomorsk and 3.5 million tons in Odessa.
As Philippine Trade Grows, DP World Expands Manila Terminal
DP World and the Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) have announced the completion of the Manila South Harbor (MSH) expansion. Located in Philippines’ largest port of Manila, the modernized MSH is poised to take up more trade in the rapidly growing Southeast Asia corridor.
The MSH expansion project cost approximately $100 million, according to DP World and ATI. This went into the extension of a pier, dredging to a depth of 13 meters, yard expansion to accommodate 20,000 TEU and the purchase of two additional ship-to-shore (STS) cranes.
In addition, the expansion will see MSH’s annual capacity rise to two million TEUs, a jump of over 25 percent from the current 1.45 million TEUs. Notably, the two neo-post-panamax STS cranes are the biggest among MSH’s 11 quay-side equipment and among the biggest ever deployed in the Philippines. With an outreach of 58 meters, each crane can handle vessels carrying up to 20 containers wide.
In the past decade, cargo throughput at MSH has been on the rise. Last year, MSH handled 1.3 million TEUs, 8 percent higher than 2023. MSH handled 350,000 TEUs in the first quarter of 2025, over 25 percent higher compared to the same period in 2024.
Besides MSH, DP World is also an operator in Batangas Port, Cavite Barge Terminal and several inland logistics terminals. ATI is the local partner of DP World in the Philippines.
“The modernization projects at MSH are a testament to the long-standing private-public-partnership to enhance the country’s trade facilities and capabilities. We extend our gratitude to our partners from ATI and DP World for bringing in the operational knowledge, expertise and resources,” said Vince Dizon, Department of Transportation Secretary.
With a growing economy, the Philippines has committed funding to modernize its key ports. In December, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) rolled out 66 port expansion projects worth over $420 million. Some of the upgrades earmarked under this initiative are almost complete, according to PPA general manager Jay Daniel, who visited some of the sites last week. One of the projects is the $10 million upgrade of the Banago port in Bacolod city. The project is on track for completion by the end of June 2025. It represents one of the largest port infrastructure investments on Negros Island by the Philippine government. The project involves expansion of the road network connecting to the port, upgrade of the roro marshalling yard to accommodate up to 50 trucks, and construction of a three-story passenger and operations building.
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