Ukraine has officially launched a concession tender for the Universal and Grain Terminals at the Port of Chornomorsk

Object of concession

• Two operating terminals
• Six berths with engineering networks, roads, railway tracks, and other assets
• Buildings, facilities, equipment, and port infrastructure located within the concession area (approx. 3,700 port assets to be transferred to the concessionaire)
• Over 3,700 port assets to be transferred to the concessionaire
• Total concession area: approx. 78 ha
• The total length of the berths: approx. 1.2 km
• Transshipment capacity: approx. 37.5 million tonnes per year

Main concession terms

• Concession term: 40 years
• Payments:

1. one-off preparation cost reimbursement (approx. EUR 1.312 million)
2. fixed payment
3. variable payment

• Investment obligations of the concessionaire: containers – 250,000 TEU/year; other cargo – 3 million tonnes/year
• Risks allocation:

1. concessionaire: operational, financial, commercial, and construction-related risks
2. public partner: project preparation, preparation of assets and land plots
3. shared risks: force majeure, blockage of Chornomorsk port access and damage to concession property by the aggressor state

More information concerning the project and opportunities is available at the link.

Key Participation Requirements

• Eligible bidders: legal entities (Ukrainian and/or foreign) may participate either individually or as part of a consortium, with or without establishing a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)
• Technical qualification:

• 5 years of experience in operating a container seaport with an annual container cargo throughput volume of 180,000 TEU over the last 10 years
• commercial experience in managing seaports
• experience in construction projects worth at least USD 50 million
• Financial requirements:

• equity: USD 50 million
• confirmation of the availability of funding sources
• Pre-qualification deadline: 4 March 2026 (75 days from publication)

More information on the procedure matters is available at the link.

Legal framework

The concession tender is conducted under a modernised Ukrainian PPP and concession framework, including:

• the updated Law of Ukraine “On Concession”
• the new Law of Ukraine “On Public-Private Partnership”

Next steps

Useful information

In our recent article, we provide an in-depth overview of the latest legal developments and highlight key commercial opportunities.

You may also watch our webinar for foreign investors focusing on Ukraine’s PPP legal framework, where we outline the overall PPP procedure and discuss recent legislative changes.

At GOLAW, we closely monitor and analyse legislative reforms in Ukraine’s PPP framework and remain available to assist you.