EBA Requests Government to Reduce Rent for Port Operators in Odessa

The European Business Association (EBA) has appealed to the Cabinet of Ministers with a proposal to restore the preferential mechanism for calculating rent for the use of state infrastructure in the ports of Greater Odessa during the period of their blockade due to enemy attacks. The business community notes that due to security risks, the number of shipping operations has significantly decreased, while port operators continue to incur substantial costs for maintaining labor teams and infrastructure. The current cargo handling volumes do not cover these expenses. The EBA is requesting amendments to Cabinet Resolution No. 634, reminding that in 2022-2023, operators were exempt from rent for unused property. After the partial resumption of operations in the ports of Odessa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhny, the benefits were terminated, while the ports of Mykolaiv, Olvia, and Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi remain blocked. The association believes that the return of the preferential mechanism will reduce financial pressure on companies and help maintain the readiness of infrastructure for full operation after the security situation stabilizes. Russian attacks on civilian vessels and port infrastructure have effectively halted traffic to the ports of Greater Odessa, threatening the export of more than 30 million tons of Ukrainian agricultural products.