NIBULON Expands Its Danube Logistics Business in Partnership with Romania’s TTS

Ukrainian agribusiness company NIBULON has signed a contract with Romanian logistics operator Transport Trade Services (TTS) to carry out international freight transportation on the Danube River.

Cooperation with one of Europe’s leading river logistics operators opens new opportunities for the Ukrainian company to expand the geography of its transportation services, improve the efficiency of its fleet operations, and strengthen its presence in the European transport market.

NIBULON’s fleet has already launched regular services on the Lower Danube between Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria. Transportation is carried out by barge-and-tug convoys, each capable of carrying approximately 8,000 tonnes of cargo per voyage.

The company notes that the development of international river transportation has become one of the key components of the transformation of its logistics model. After losing the ability to fully use Ukraine’s inland waterways, NIBULON redirected part of its fleet to the international Danube transportation market.

NIBULON currently operates on the Upper, Middle, and Lower Danube, gradually expanding its network of routes and range of transported cargo.

The company emphasizes that entering new international routes confirms the competitiveness of Ukrainian shipping and makes it possible to maintain fleet utilization amid limited access to Ukraine’s inland waterways.

Commentary by the Institute of Danube Research

The partnership between NIBULON and the Romanian company TTS is a representative example of the integration of the Ukrainian river fleet into the European transport and logistics system.

Regular transportation services between Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria demonstrate that, for Ukrainian businesses, the Danube is gradually becoming not only an alternative export route but also a fully fledged international market for transport services.

As the Institute has repeatedly emphasized, it is particularly important that Ukrainian companies act not only as cargo owners but also as direct participants in international transportation, using their own fleets. This contributes to preserving the human resources, technological capabilities, and industrial potential of Ukrainian shipping.

At the same time, the expansion of Ukrainian carriers’ operations on the Upper, Middle, and Lower Danube highlights the need to develop a comprehensive state policy for river transport. Such a policy should include support for the national fleet, modernization of Ukrainian Danube ports, development of ship repair facilities, harmonization of regulatory procedures, and deeper cooperation with the countries of the Danube Region.

NIBULON’s experience demonstrates that the Ukrainian fleet can compete successfully in the European market. The state’s task is to create conditions under which this presence becomes systematic and the Danube becomes one of the key pillars of Ukraine’s long-term economic and transport integration into the European Union.