Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company shortens the working day and optimizes the staff: the reasons for the changes
Due to the heat on the Middle Danube, shallow water makes it difficult for barge caravans to move, so some customers decided to suspend transport in August to avoid risks.
Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company (UDP), the country’s largest state-owned shipping company, announced the reduction of the working day to six hours and the start of staff optimization due to the crisis in the transportation sector. About this reported general director of UDP Dmytro Moskalenko.
He noted that the crisis in the river transport market on the Danube is intensifying, and the company is forced to cut costs by switching to a 6-hour working day.
Among the main reasons for the crisis, Moskalenko singled out the lack of support for the Danube export direction.
“Danube ports have the potential to compete with Odesa ports in the transportation of Ukrainian agricultural products, but for this a discount on railway transportation to Izmail is necessary”, — said the head of the UDP.
In addition, due to the heat, the water level on the Middle Danube has decreased, which makes it difficult for barge caravans to move. In this regard, some customers decided to suspend transportation in August in order to avoid risks.
The allowable draft of barges is also decreasing, but cargo owners are not ready to increase freight rates.
Moskalenko also recalled that farmers lost part of their harvest due to the heat, which led to a reduction in the amount of agricultural products exported through the Danube.
