The Romanian port of Constanta, on the Black Sea, is being converted into the largest grain transhipment facility in Europe. This month operator Cimpex will open its new terminal, which is specially equipped for grain transport by sea and the Danube.
Only the French port of Rouen records a higher annual turnover, namely more than 20 million tons of grain. In total, Constanta recorded a turnover of 2016 million tons of solid and liquid goods in 60. That is by no means the highest turnover in Europe. Rotterdam converts almost 10 times as much, but not in grain.
Sales in Constanta are growing rapidly, mainly thanks to grain transhipment. Grain transshipment now accounts for a third of total turnover. Fertilizer and oil terminals in Constanta are being converted into terminals used only for grain and other animal feed crops.
Investment object
Not only the Chinese invest in the Romanian port on the Black Sea, wealthy Romanians do so too. The man who sponsors top tennis player Simona Halep, Corneliu Idu, also invests more than 50 million in grain transshipment in Constanta. This via a listed investment company. The Swiss Ameropa also invested tens of millions in the port of Constanta.
No drought
The processing and export of the new barley harvest is currently underway in the port. Heavy rainfall, which caused massive deforestation of grain, slightly dampened the exceptionally good harvest expectations last weekend. In contrast to Western Europe, it is not dry at all in the Danube Delta. The barley harvest is quickly followed by rapeseed and wheat, which makes up the majority of the total annual turnover.
Wheat is followed by maize, until the beginning of winter. Together with wheat, corn is the most important product for the Romanian port of Constanta. Sunflowers also form an important part of the agricultural area in the Danube Delta.
Once the corn harvest from the Danube Delta in Romania has been processed, storage from the warehouses along the river comes next. Up to hundreds of kilometers away, towards Central Europe. The non-EU country Serbia is an important supply area. One of the main buyers of grain is Egypt.