Belarus has suggested to Ukraine that the two countries jointly build a hub port on the Dnieper River, 500m to the north (on the Belarusian side) of the two nations’ border.
The Dnieper flows through both countries to the Black Sea, so landlocked Belarus has, since 2011, been considering the port hub project as a would-be link for Belarusian industrial exports, such as fertilisers and construction materials, using seagoing river ships to reach foreign markets.
The new transit hub could become a node to connect the western and eastern parts of the New Silk Road from China to Europe.
According to Ukraine’s deputy infrastructure minister, Viktor Dovgan, the project met with approval from Ukraine and Poland, which are both said to support the idea of linking the Dnieper with Vistula River (via the Dnieper-Bug Canal), and thus restore the 2,000 km-long trans-European transport corridor E40. The three countries are reportedly prepared jointly to ask the European Commission for technical support.
Construction of the new harbour with dedicated terminals for handling bulk, general and container cargoes is estimated at around US$10M. Meanwhile, building of a rail line to link the port with the Belarusian and Ukrainian rail networks would require an additional US$100M. It would also be necessary to deepen the river. It is believed, however, that the investment could pay back quickly, as long as there is a possibility for backward cargo transport from the Black Sea region to Belarus, Poland and Russia.
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