The State Hydrographic Service оf Ukraine is the basis of safety navigation !

The State Hydrographic Service оf Ukraine is a unique state institution ensuring safety of navigation in the sea region and in the inland waterways of Ukraine. Since April 2018, the State Hydrographic Service оf Ukraine has been managed by a new head, acknowledged expert in international law and public administration, Oleksandr Shchіptsov. 

— You have been running the State Hydrographic Service оf Ukraine since April of this year. After two months of your management, the Institute was audited by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). How did the IMO auditors appraise the work of the institution?

— The specialists of our Institute successfully passed the internationally recognized examination. We got no critical comments on the State Hydrographic Service`s fulfilling the requirements of the international conventions composing the Code for the Implementation of Mandatory IMO Instruments. We proved its long-term experience and conformity to the global standards of service in the navigational and hydrographic shipping support. Nevertheless, by running the audit, we received a number of further recommendations to the implementation of new international standards in the national legislation. The process is not easy, but we know how to materialize it.

— The State Hydrographic Service оf Ukraine has been performing the function on providing the navigable inland waterways with the aids of navigation. What is your assessment of this managerial decision?

— The managerial decision mentioned by you should certainly be assessed as an act of critical management. However, this forced decision allowed us aligning the situation and creating safe conditions for the shipping in the navigation in 2017-2018 under the warning conditions of navigation in the inland waterways.

— As the State Hydrographic Service оf Ukraine had to deal a lot with the Dnipro in these days, do you have any thoughts of what else is necessary to do for restoring the national river shipping?

— The overwhelming majority of our citizens consider the Dnieper the only waterway of Ukraine, but the length of the navigable part of the Dnieper is only about 37% of the total length of the river routes that are recognized as navigable. Unfortunately, some waterways have actually lost the status of shipping lines,

But taking into account the generally acknowledged fact about maximal profitability of water transportations, the conclusion is obvious – river shipping must be restored.

— Which innovations of modern equipment and technologies does the State Hydrographic Services of Ukraine plan to use today in order to advance sea waterway services?

— As for these issues the State Hydrographic Service of Ukraine follows the Marine Aids to Navigation Manual  (The International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities). Our administration intends to start in the nearest future the elaboration of Strategic Plan of development of the institution with forecast at least for 10 years concerning implementation of high standards of safety in sea, support of infrastructure and informational support in order to provide safety of navigation in areas of responsibility of Ukraine. We plan to enhance technical means within the framework of medium-term (up to 5 years) target scientific and technical programs.

Insertion: Scientific activity – is one of top-priority directions for State Hydrographic Services.

— Which cartographic works are done by the State Hydrographic Service today?

— Today the affiliate of the State Hydrographic Service of Ukraine «Ukrmorcartography» is a modern production complex, comply with all the requirements of current international standards (International Hydrographic Organization in particular). National collection of navigation charts and instructions for shipping include: 239 electronic navigation charts and 180 paper ones, 181 electronic river navigation charts and 129 paper ones, 115 cells of electronic charts I, II, III, IV and V of big range, 8 albums of charts of inland waterways and 34 instructions for shipping. Paper charts are also even now required for seagoing vessels as well as river vessels. Besides, the technology of paper charts «customized print» implemented by «Ukrmorcartography» allows within a few minutes to get the required number of copies of a chart actualized at the moment of publishing.

-What is your estimation of prospect of creation of digital data bank for hydrographic data?

— It is topical requirement of the present. This is why the State Hydrographic Services of Ukraine plans to cooperate with the National Academy of Science of Ukraine in order to create the data bank. Certainly, the bank will be added with the treasury of years-long experience of the State Hydrographic Services – national collection of sea and river electronic charts, oceanographical atlases as well. 

— What else do you focus on as a leader?

— The top priorities of the managers of our Institution are focused on the issues of studying sea and river shipping waterways, navigational and hydrographical safety provision within the national zone of responsibility, implementation of modern methods of navigation in Azov-Black Sea region of Ukraine, as well as realization of the National plan of restoring the power economy, particularly implementation of energy-saving equipment at objects of the State Hydrographic Service of Ukraine

Contacts:

Central department of the State Hydrographic Service of Ukraine

Address: Gagarin Avenue, 23

02094, Kyiv city, Ukraine

Tel.: (044) 296-60-40

Tel./fax: (044) 292-12-17

e-mail: office@hydro.gov.ua

site: http://hydro.gov.ua/index.php/ua/