More than a million tons of iron ore exported from Ukraine to Turkey

Turkey doubled its imports of Ukrainian iron ore in nine months.

According to preliminary data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUI), the country's steelmaking companies significantly increased their imports of iron ore from Ukraine in the first nine months of this year to 1.01 million tons, which is twice as much as in the same period in 2023 (499.17 thousand tons).

In September, Ukraine shipped 82.5 thousand tons of iron ore to Turkey, down 37.8% year-on-year.

Overall, imports of iron ore to Turkey increased by 26.1% to 8.14 million tons over the first nine months of the year, while spending on it increased by 26.7% to $1.02 billion. In September, the country purchased 1.04 million tons of ore, which is 145.7% more than in August, but 5.2% less than in the same period in 2023. The value of imports in September amounted to $115.18 million, up 194.3% from August but down 9.6% from a year earlier.

Among the largest suppliers of iron ore to Turkey, Brazil ranks first with 4.28 million tons (+5.2% yoy). Ukraine is in second place, and South Africa is in third place with 861.15 thousand tons (in 2023, 341.81 thousand tons in the same period).

Meanwhile, Ukrainian seaports show different financial results for the three quarters of 2024: "Pivdennyi and Chornomorsk are increasing their profits, while the Danube ports are reducing their volumes.

Earlier, the military reported an increase in the capacity of the Ukrainian sea corridor over the past six months. Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk noted that there is currently no danger of remote mining.

Instead, Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria have begun jointly searching for mines in the Black Sea to improve the safety of shipping, including the export of Ukrainian grain from the ports of the Greater Odesa region. Despite Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria's membership in NATO, their naval forces are outside of NATO, in part to avoid escalating tensions with Russia.

Ірина Глухова