December is the month in which it is customary to sum up and outline the prospects for the next year. Following the traditions, the SHIPPING magazine conducted its own analysis and chose the most significant events that occurred in the maritime sector and the transport infrastructure of Ukraine in 2017.
Legislation
The Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine initiated the reform of the maritime industry.
The first step in the reform was the change in the leadership of the Ukrainian Sea Port Authority and the appointment of Raivis Veckagans to the post of acting president of the State Enterprise USPA.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine decided to reduce the rates of port charges by 20% from January 1, 2017. The decision was made at a government meeting on September 6, 2017. Tariffs will be calculated according to the new Methodology for Calculating Rates of Port Dues, based on the “cost plus” settlement system, which is divided into basic and investment components.
Logistics
Ukraine and Poland signed a Memorandum on cooperation in the construction of the transport corridor ViaCarpatia.The corridor will connect the Baltic Black and Mediterranean Sea and will pass through Ukraine, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey.
SC Ukrferry launched a cargo-passenger ferry Istanbul-Chernomorsk. The Kaunas Seavays motor /rail/ passenger ferry can simultaneously receive 59 universal rail cars and 50 TIR vehicles on board. Also on the ship there are 250 passenger seats.
Ukraine has joined the two largest international transport project: the TransCaspian International Transport Corridor (TMTM) and the Transport-European Transoprt Network (TEN-T).
Railway transport
PJSC Ukrzaliznytsya launches two new international routes: Kyiv-Vienna and Odessa-Peremyshl.
The non-stop vagon Kiev-Vienna (Austria) will run through Budapest every day of the year.
The new train Odessa-Peremyshl (Poland) will be launched in a similar mode.
In the plans of UZ to develop the following directions: Mukachevo-Budapest, Kiev-Minsk-Vilnius-Riga-Tallinn and Kiev-Gomel.
Ports
A long-term plan for the development of the commercial port of Yuzhny has been approved with an investment volume of $ 3 billion. In accordance with the plan, up to 2038 in the port of Yuzhny it is planned to implement 23 investment projects. The strategy includes three stages of development: the nearest (until 2018), medium-term (up to 2023) and long-term (until 2038). The implementation of the development plan will increase the port’s capacity for transshipment of cargo up to 120 million tons per year, 870 thousand TEU and 10 billion cubic meters of gas.
In the seaport of Yuzhny a large-scale project for dredging started. The project provides for the reconstruction of water approaches, shunting zones and operational water areas of the port (dredging of the approach channel for the grain terminal MV Cargo), as well as reconstruction of the maritime approach channel and inland water approaches to deep water berths No. 5-6. The work is carried out by the Chinese company China Harbour Engineering company Ltd. (CHEC). The deadline for completion is 2019.
The container train between the TSI-KT and the Dnieper river port was launched. The official launch of the container express took place on September 6, 2017 at the TIS-KT (port of Yuzhny). The train overcomes the distance in 630 kilometers in 19 hours, which is four times faster than the time of standard deliveries by rail.
In the SE Olbia dredging was carried out for the first time in 10 years. The total volume of dredging, according to the terms of reference, is more than 99000 m3.
Two reloading terminals for shipping grain and oilseeds to river transport were put into operation. The first terminal is located in the village of Belenkoye (Zaporozhye region) in the territory of more than 6 hectares and includes 14 storage tanks of grain with the volume of 77 thousand tons. The total capacity for shipment is 716,800 tons per year.
The second terminal is opened in Golaya Pristan (Kherson region). The terminal includes 14 storage tanks with a total volume of 823 tons.
Infrastructure objects belong to the agricultural holding company Nibulon.
Shipping / Shipbuilding
A powerful dredging vessel is built, which has no analogues in Ukraine. The unique dredging vessel Nikolaevets is equipped with an excavator with a hydraulic breaker for rock crushing and a powerful hydraulic pump station. The vessel is built by the company Nibulon and can perform dredging at a depth of up to 15 meters.
The KSSRZ resumed construction of barges from lighters. The vessels are built according to the original technology: docking parts of lighters — cargo non-self-propelled vessels of the barge type. The Kili Shipbuilding and Shiprepairing Plant ceased to produce similar barges back in 2005.
In 2017, the plant repaired and launched a 76-meter barge with a carrying capacity of 2,098 tons, consisting of two and a half lighters. The construction of a vessel of three lifters is planned.
