Eight months after Russia exited the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI),  Black sea agricultural marine cargo volumes have matched pre-2022 levels.

Over 1,300 ships conveyed around 25 million tonnes of agricultural goods between August 2023 and April 2024.  

Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN, Serhiy Kyslytsia, stated on April 30, 2024 that this cargo estimate exceeds that of BSGI’s lifetime.

The United Nations (UN) launched the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2022 to secure sea trade during the Russia-Ukraine war.

The initiative safeguarded the passage of agricultural commodities throughout its 1 year-tenure ending July 2023, when Russia withdrew. With no assurance of the safety of its vessels, Ukraine brought its Black Sea route to near the Romania border. Since then, shipments have been moving smoothly amid the ongoing war, now in its third year.

40 Nations Depend on Black Sea Trade

A staggering amount of international agricultural trade depends on Black Sea shipments and some 40 nations rely on it.

Arguably, around 400 million people worldwide consume agricultural produce that directly comes via the Black Sea. Key areas outside Europe that directly receive goods via the seaway include the horn of Africa. 

Humanitarian aid also crosses the Black Sea waters. For instance, between late 2023 and early 2024, the Grain from Ukraine agency dispatched 200,000 tonnes of grain to Yemen, Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan and Nigeria. This at a time when seaborne trade in another strategic seaway, the Red Sea, was also experiencing terror fears.

Historical Marine Cargo Volumes

In March 2023, when the Black Sea Grain Initiative was at its peak capacity, cargo volumes hit 7.3 million tonnes.  BSGI would collapse 4 months later and leave thousands of tonnes of dry goods stranded at Ukraine’s Odessa port.

Between August 2023 and January 2023, however, 700 vessels from Ukraine conveyed winter wheat through the channel.

By January 2024, long after BSGI’s collapse, Ukraine had shipped 7.3 million tonnes of agricultural goods, similar to March 2023’s.

Black sea agricultural marine cargo volume was by April 2024 back to 2022 levels, a show of uptick improvement in trade.