Orlivka–Isaccea Ferry Crossing: Five Years of Strategic Connectivity Between Ukraine and the EU

Five years ago, in the far south of Odesa region, the Orlivka–Isaccea ferry crossing was built from scratch — a project that has since played a historic and strategic role in the logistics of not only the region but all of Ukraine.

Today, the trip from Orlivka on the Ukrainian bank of the Danube to Isaccea on the Romanian side takes just around ten minutes — sometimes even less.

A Historic Launch

On 10 August 2020, at 8:00 a.m., the first shifts of Ukrainian and Romanian border and customs officers began working at the newly constructed crossing point. Within two days, the services of both countries had fine-tuned technical operations, and on 12 August the first ferry voyages carrying freight trucks were launched.

Back then, there were only two trips a day; within months, the service was running 8–10 daily. Today, two ferries operate around the clock, departing every 30 minutes.

From Vision to Reality

The idea of connecting the two banks of the Danube at a point where residents can see each other with the naked eye had long seemed obvious. Yet for years, residents traveling to Romania had to pass through Moldova, undergoing additional border checks and losing valuable time.

“I was always surprised that on Ukraine’s 187 km stretch of the Danube there was not a single crossing point,” said Yuriy Dimchoglo, former deputy of the Odesa Regional Council, in a 2023 interview.

Together with winemaker Volodymyr Maslenkov and agricultural entrepreneur Oleh Sulakov, Dimchoglo launched the construction. By autumn 2022, with the support of the Odesa Regional Military Administration and the Ministry of Infrastructure, the ferry terminal was granted seaport status and integrated into the Reni branch of the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority.

Economic and Humanitarian Impact

Today, the Orlivka Ferry Complex and Orlivka River Port employ 137 people. In 2024, they contributed over 43 million UAH in taxes to state and local budgets.

During the pandemic, the crossing operated only for freight. From February 2021, it opened to passenger vehicles and pedestrians.

In the first months of Russia’s full-scale invasion, it became the main humanitarian hub in southern Ukraine on the EU border.

In 2022, after the blockade of the ports of Greater Odesa, truck traffic through Orlivka doubled. In 2023, most vehicles were grain container trucks bound for the port of Constanța.

Today

The ferry line operates 24/7:

• 08:00–20:00 — two ferries, every 30–40 minutes;
• 20:00–08:00 — one ferry, about once an hour.

Comment from the Danube Research Institute:

“The Orlivka crossing is a prime example of successful synergy between private initiative and state support, delivering a strategic result for Ukraine.
It ensures fast and reliable access to the EU, reduces logistics costs for business, eases congestion at other border points, and plays a critical role in humanitarian and trade operations during wartime.
Its significance goes far beyond the Budjak region — it is an element of national security and of Ukraine’s integration into the European space,” — noted the Danube Research Institute.