Port of Chornomorsk: Ukraine's Main Container Hub
The Port of Chornomorsk is a sea trade port on the north-western coast of the Black Sea, located in the city of the same name in Odessa Oblast, 25 km south-west of Odessa. Until 2016, both the city and the port were named Iliichivsk: the renaming is now official, but the old name still appears in commercial invoices, charter parties and shippers' everyday speech.
Among Ukraine's three ports that receive container vessels, Chornomorsk ranks first in terms of water depth and container terminal throughput. The majority of import 20- and 40-foot containers arriving in Ukraine by sea pass through here. The terminal operates around the clock, is connected to the Ukrzaliznytsia rail network and has developed port infrastructure for transhipment and short-term cargo storage. Berth depth at the container terminal reaches 14.5 m, enabling it to receive Panamax-class vessels with a capacity of over 4,000 TEU. The main shipping lines calling at Chornomorsk are MSC, CMA CGM, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, ZIM, ONE, COSCO and OOCL. Trans-Hope handles port freight forwarding and cargo processing end-to-end.
History: From a Fishing Village to Ukraine's Largest Container Terminal
Construction of the Iliichivsk trade port began in the late 1950s by order of the Soviet government, in response to the rapidly overloaded capacity of the Port of Odessa. The port was officially commissioned in 1958. During the Soviet era it handled mainly general cargo, rolled steel and grain.
The container revolution reached Iliichivsk in the 1980s. After the collapse of the USSR, the port passed to Ukrainian state management, and during the 1990s–2000s individual terminals were gradually privatised. In the 2010s the container terminal became Ukraine's largest by transhipment volume: in the best pre-pandemic years it handled up to 850,000–950,000 TEU per year. In 2016, as part of Ukraine's decommunisation policy, the city of Iliichivsk was renamed Chornomorsk, and the port received its new official name.
In 2022–2023, Chornomorsk was included among the three ports of Ukraine's "grain corridor" brokered by the UN and Turkey. After the corridor ended in July 2023, Ukraine established an alternative humanitarian route along the western Black Sea coast.
Port Technical Specifications
Port of Chornomorsk: Terminals
The port's infrastructure comprises several specialised complexes, each focused on a particular cargo type.
Container Terminal — the strategic core of the port. Equipped with rail-mounted and mobile gantry cranes, reach stackers and automated container tracking systems. The terminal handles lift-on/lift-off operations, horizontal movement, weighing (VGM), inspection and handover to road carriers. Refrigerated containers (reefer) can also be stored at the terminal with plug-in connections.
Grain Terminal receives bulk carriers and grain vessels. Features several silos with a combined capacity of hundreds of thousands of tonnes. Used for exports of wheat, barley, maize and sunflower oil.
Ro-Ro Terminal serves wheeled cargo — passenger cars, agricultural and construction machinery, trailers. Ferry lines connected Chornomorsk with ports in Georgia, Turkey and Romania.
General Cargo Terminal handles palletised goods, big bags, crated shipments, rolled steel and out-of-gauge equipment.
Shipping Lines Calling at the Port
Before 2022, most of the world's major container carriers called at Chornomorsk on a regular basis. Following the introduction of sanctions and war-related risks, several lines temporarily suspended calls; however, services are gradually resuming as the alternative route becomes established.
The port has historically been served by the following shipping lines:
- MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) — the world's largest container carrier, Switzerland;
- CMA CGM — second largest fleet, France;
- Maersk — Denmark, pioneer of container shipping;
- Hapag-Lloyd — Germany, strong presence on the Black Sea route;
- ZIM Integrated Shipping Services — Israel;
- ONE (Ocean Network Express) — Japan;
- COSCO Shipping — China;
- OOCL (Orient Overseas Container Line) — Hong Kong / China.
We recommend checking the current list of active services directly with line agents or your port freight forwarder — schedules change depending on insurance conditions and the operational situation.
Current Port Status in 2025
Chornomorsk remains an operational port and continues to receive commercial cargo. Operations are conducted in accordance with current insurance agreements and Ukrainian wartime legislation. Several lines maintain services to Chornomorsk — both via direct calls and through transhipment at Constanța (Romania), from where cargo is forwarded by feeder vessels.
The Administration of Sea Ports of Ukraine (ASPU) publishes up-to-date information on port operating regimes on its official website at uspa.gov.ua.
How to Arrange Container Delivery Through Chornomorsk
Cargo arriving by container at Chornomorsk goes through several mandatory stages: discharge at the terminal → arrival notice → submission of the customs declaration → customs release → collection and delivery to the consignee's warehouse.
Coordinating all these operations independently is complex: different parties (the port, customs, the shipping line, the freight forwarder) work with different documents on different timelines. A delayed container pickup results in demurrage and detention charges that can exceed the freight cost during peak periods.
Trans-Hope handles complete cargo management at the Port of Chornomorsk: receiving the arrival notice, settling with the terminal, liaising with customs and arranging collection. For full details, visit our container shipping page.
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Can cargo from Chornomorsk be delivered to Kyiv by road?
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Need to ship a container through Chornomorsk? Send us an enquiry and a Trans-Hope manager will be in touch within one working day.
