ZIM returns to Ukraine: the Israeli shipping company restores the direct container service LBX — the only route between Ukraine and Israel

When news in logistics smells of real change, they always come quietly. ZIM Integrated Shipping Services, the largest Israeli maritime company, announced a full return to Ukraine and the restart of its service LBX (Levant–Black Sea Express), which will once again become the only direct container route between Ukraine and Israel.

“ZIM returns to Ukraine! This is another step towards restoring Ukraine’s sustainable maritime communication — and an important signal for the entire market. Direct service Haifa → Yuzhny with a transit time of 6 days,” – noted in AMEU (Association of International Freight Forwarders of Ukraine).

The first vessel call at the port of Pivdennyi is scheduled for December 2, 2025 — and it’s more than just a date. It’s the movement of the economy, the air of hope, and a real connection between two countries that have been getting closer in recent years, despite everything.

What ZIM said — and why it matters right now

In an official statement, the company emphasizes: LBX returns as the only direct container service between Ukraine and Israel on the market:

“Meet the updated LBX service from ZIM, which now offers exclusive direct communication between Ukraine and Israel, as well as fast connections with ZIM’s global network! First voyage: ZIM Australia (AU6) 221, call at Yuzhny scheduled for December 2, 2025.”

This means that:

• there is no longer a need to route cargo through third countries;
• weeks of waiting on transits disappear;
• business in both countries once again receives live, direct logistics — fast, predictable, and economically reasonable.

For ZIM, this is not just the launch of a line. It’s a statement that Ukraine is once again part of a major route in the Eastern Mediterranean, and that the logistics map is returning to where it should be.

ZIM: a company that shapes routes between countries

To understand the scale of the news, one must remember who ZIM is. The company was born in 1945 in Haifa and over the decades has become one of the key pillars of global maritime logistics. Today, its routes pass through more than 100 countries, and the ZIM brand stands for stability, precision, and the ability to operate even where others are still observing. ZIM was the first in the industry to implement digital container tracking systems, actively works with refrigerated cargo, cars, agricultural products, industrial goods. For Ukraine and Israel, it has always been more than just a carrier — it was a bridge through which everything flowed: from food to industrial products.

How the route worked before the war — and when it was interrupted

Just ten years ago, ZIM ships regularly called at Odessa, Illichivsk (Chornomorsk), and other Ukrainian ports. Services BSU, then LBX operated — clear lines between Haifa, the Black Sea, Turkey, Greece, and Ukraine. But in February 2022, when Russia’s full-scale invasion began, everything changed overnight. Sea calls became impossible: — closed waters, — mines, — risks for ships, — halted ports. And ZIM — like other carriers — was forced to change strategy. In August 2022, the company issued an official notice: delivery to Ukraine would be carried out through Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Turkey, Germany, with further land transit. The bill of lading featured a phrase that the Ukrainian market remembered for a long time: “In transit to Ukraine”. The direct route Israel–Ukraine was no more. Logistics worked, but via a detour, slower, more expensive, and with less predictability. In 2024, ZIM officially reduced the Black Sea rotations TBX/LBX, removing Ukrainian ports — and it seemed like a long pause.

And now — the return. What does it change?

The resumption of LBX is a sign. Not only for ZIM’s clients but for the entire economy.

1. Ukraine reappears on the map of direct container services

The restoration of calls at Pivdennyi means that the shipping environment allows for safe and stable operations.

2. Israel and Ukraine receive a logistics corridor without unnecessary links

For export — grains, oils, processing, wood. For import — equipment, machinery, building materials, medical goods, industrial cargo.

3. Business regains speed

Approximately 6 days — and the cargo from Haifa is in Ukraine. It’s an almost forgotten feeling of normalcy.

4. It affects trade, prices, and routes in the region

ZIM is a company that does not make sudden moves without risk analysis. If it returns the line — it means it is economically justified, logistically possible, and strategically important.

Port Pivdennyi: location, history, characteristics, and Russia’s strikes on the port

Location: Port Pivdennyi is located in the Odessa region, on the Black Sea coast, approximately 30–35 km east of Odessa, near the city of Yuzhny (Yuzhne). It is a separate port, not connected to the former Illichivsk (now Chornomorsk), which is located west of Odessa. Brief history:

• Construction — 1973, launch — 1978.
• Created as a deep-water industrial port for large tonnages, ore, chemicals, transit industrial nomenclature.
• Since the 1990s — one of the largest and most modernized ports in Ukraine.

Technical characteristics:

• Depths: up to 15–16 m — the largest among Ukrainian ports.
• Specialization: metals, chemical products, ore, coal, agricultural products, containers.
• Infrastructure: deep-water berths, rail and road logistics, modern terminals.

How it suffered during Russia’s war against Ukraine (since 2022): Pivdennyi was regularly under attack, like other ports in the Odessa region. There are officially confirmed attacks:

• April 19, 2024 — Russian missiles hit the infrastructure of the port Pivdennyi, there were damages and casualties.
• About October 7, 2024 — a Russian missile hit a civilian ship with a grain cargo moored at the port Pivdennyi; damages were recorded (Reuters).
• January 24, 2025 — Russian Kh-59 missiles, launched from Su-57, were directed at the port Pivdennyi; one of the missiles was shot down by a Ukrainian Navy boat (official report).

All these events confirm that the port was under systematic attacks, and the full operation of international container services was impossible for more than three years.

Conclusion

The resumption of ZIM LBX is not just news for the transport industry. It is a new cycle of relations between Ukraine and Israel. It is the return of direct, live logistics that connects markets, people, companies, cities. And it is perhaps one of the most positive signals of the end of 2025: countries are reconnecting not only with words but with real routes that work every day. … NAnewsIsrael News Nikk.Agency