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Russian Railways OJSC is ready to support the initiative of the Kaliningrad Region authorities on expansion of ferry traffic between the exclave and the mainland of Russia, Kaliningrad Region Governor Nikolai Tsukanov said yesterday following the meeting with Russian Railways President Vladimir Yakunin. The meeting was dedicated to the demand for more passenger-and-freight ferries at the line linking Baltijsk with port Ust-Luga (Leningrad region).

According to Nikolai Tsukanov, ferry service is a reliable way of cargo transportation for the exclave as it does not depend on rate policy of neighboring states or on operation of border checkpoints for road transport.

Two ferryboats operating on the route, Baltijsk and Ambal, are fully loaded in both directions. The carry over 1 mln t of cargo per year. Meanwhile, there is a demand and a potential for the increase of throughput capacity at rail-ferry complex in Baltijsk.

On the 17th of April there was officially forwarded for operations the infrastructure of the quay No 144, Klaipeda Port says in its press release.

When the one kilometre railroad was constructed, there remained no obstacles to use all the possibilities and execute commercial operations at the quay No 144.

The quay is adapted for handling general, bulk and dry bulk cargo and it is leased to the company KLASCO.

The length of the quay is – 469 m, the project water depth at the quay is – 11 m, and 931 m of railroad is built.

The total amount of EUR 1, 24 million was invested into the railroads at the quay No 144.

During the last 2,5 years the Port authority invested into infrastructure  almost  EUR 145 million.

In 2013 there were invested more than EUR 87 million, by two times more than during earlier years. It is planned to invest about EUR 350 million up to 2018.

More than a half of this sum will be allotted to port dredging. One more aspiration of the Port authority in 2015 is – to solve railway infrastructure issues. In 2015 it is planned to allot about EUR 4,4 million for railway constructions and repairs. It is intended to invest about EUR 3,3 million to the reconstruction of access roads and streets.

Source: http://en.portnews.ru/news/198779/

Marine Multipurpose Complex Bronka (MMPK Bronka, Big Port St. Petersburg) and Svijazhsk Interregional Multimodal Logistic Center (Svijazhsk IMLC, Tatarstan) are looking into cooperation for highly-efficient logistics in container transportation sector. According to the press center of Fenix LLC (Bronka project investor and developer), the negotiations were held during TransRussia-2015 Exhibition by Timur Azhimov, Deputy Transport Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan,  and Aleksei Shukletsov, Executive Director of Fenix LLC.

The parties marked the advantageous geographical location of both MMPK Bronka and Svijazhsk IMLC as well as their simultaneous appearance in the market of transport & logistic and stevedoring services.

MMPK Bronka – as a deepwater outer port located in Saint-Petersburg, the main ‘sea gate’ of Russia, and having a convenient access to railway infrastructure – will be able to ensure smooth handling of containers delivered by trains from the central Russia to Saint-Petersburg and back.  Svijazhsk IMLC located, in its turn, in the very center of transport corridor “Europe-Western China” and linked to trunk railways, railway junction “Svijazhsk” and freight distribution station “Yudino”, will ensure accumulation and repacking of freight delivered by the above mentioned corridor as well as freight from industrially developed area of the country’s central part.

Thus, cooperation of MMPK Bronka and Svijazhsk IMLC will allow for creation of a reliable export-import transport corridor, ensure efficient logistic for container flows, facilitate economic development of the regions, production of export goods, phasing out of imports and generation of jobs.

Creation of Svijazhsk IMLC in the Republic of Tatarstan is one of the largest projects on creation of a comprehensive full-service logistic center in Russia and the largest on in the Volga Region.  It has been under implementation from 2010 within the framework of the federal special-purpose programme “Development of Russia’s Transport System, 2010-2020”. Investments into the project exceed RUB 20 bln. As of today, 95% of infrastructure being developed by the state is ready. The 193-hectare area divided into 6 lots is to be officially presented in late August 2015. The launch of the Center operation is scheduled for 2017. The Center’s estimated annual throughput is to make 12.2 mln t by 2020 and 29.1 mln t by 2030. Creation of a special economic zone at the Center is under consideration today.

The Marine Multipurpose Complex Bronka (MMPK Bronka) is being built on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, where the Dam and the Ring Road border the territory of Lomonosov. The Bronka Complex will comprise three specialized facilities: a container terminal encompassing 107 hectares, the Ro-Ro terminal of 57 ha and a logistics center of 42 ha.  Container terminal will have 1.176 m-long quay wall (including 5 berths). The length of Ro-Ro terminal’s dock line will be 630 meters (3 berths). After completion of Bronka Phase 1 its capacity will reach 1.45 million TEUs and 260,000 units of Ro-Ro cargoes. In future the MMPK Bronka expansion will help increase the facility’s container throughput  to 1.9 million TEUs. Upon completion of the port’s construction and dredging to the design mark of 14,4 meters in 2015 MMPK Bronka will be able to accommodate post-Panamax containerships and the ferries of Finnstar class.

Implementation of the Bronka project is expected to generate 2,300 jobs at its marine terminals alone.

The launch of MMPK Bronka operations is scheduled for September 2015.

Source: http://en.portnews.ru/news/198729/

The Captain of Big Port St. Petersburg Alexander Volkov has allowed navigation on Korabelny Fairway as from midnight on April 23, the Baltic Seaports Authority said.

The canal is ready for transit of vessels with navigational aids installed according to summer season navigation mode.

Big Port St. Petersburg is the largest port in the North-West of Russia. The port is located on the islands of the Neva River delta at the eastern tip of the Baltic Sea. The port is assessable from the Baltic Sea through the 27-mile long Marine Canal. The boundaries and adjacent waters of Big Port St. Petersburg include offshore anchorage area, terminals, warehouses and piers leased out to several stevedoring companies.

http://en.portnews.ru/news/198573/

Estonia based Port of Tallinn (Tallinna Sadam) hopes to become a hub for transshipment of petroleum products and containers through creation of new infrastructure, a Port Authority official said.

Port of Tallinn’s Chairman of the Management Board Ain Kaljurand, who was speaking at the international conference TransRussia 2015 in Moscow, said that actually Port of Tallinn has already been operating as oil products hub and has created infrastructure to receive and handle small tankers, including inland waterways vessels.

As to containers handling, the port official told the IAA PortNews correspondent that the port has recently finalized construction of a new container terminal with berth depth at 14.5 m. This enable the container terminal to accommodate ocean-going 10,000TEU boxships.

Today the Tallinn Port Authority implements procurement program for new handling equipment, purchasing new terminal cranes. Tallinna Sadam plans to attract global container operators: Maersk Line, COSCO, China Shipping Container Line and others.

Port of Tallinn (Tallinna Sadam) ranks third among largest seaports on the Baltic Sea, next to St. Petersburg and Primorsk. The Port comprises five so-called port zones: Muuga, Old City Harbor, Paljassaare, Paldiski South and Saaremaa. In 2014 Tallinn port handled 28.32 million tonnes of different cargoes.

Source: http://en.portnews.ru/news/198490/

The world’s only Festival of Icebreakers will be held for the second time in Saint-Petersburg on May 2 – 3, the Organization Committee says.
The Festival is dedicated to the 70-year anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and to the deeds of the Polar Convoys.
The event will be held in the water area of Bolshaya Neva and will involve the operating icebreakers of the North West Basin Branch of FSUE Rosmorport: Moskva, Ivan Kruzenshtern, Kapitan Sorokin. Icebreaker Krasin, branch of the Museum of the World Ocean in Saint-Petersburg, will be the flagship of the Festival. Citizens and guests of Saint-Petersburg will be able to visit the icebreakers during three-day period, special tours will be arranged to the museum of the Admiralty Shipyards and to the icebreaker Arktika being built at the Baltiysky Zavod.

The Festival programme includes tours to icebreakers, large-scale historic reenactment dedicated to the development of Arctic and the Polar Convoys during the Great Patriotic War, as well as the presentation of the today’s icebreaking fleet of Russia.

The Parade of Icebreakers to be held with the support of PORTOFLOT CJSC on May 3. The programme of the closing ceremony will included the performance of the symphony orchestra and opera stars of Saint-Petersburg.

Source: http://en.portnews.ru/news/198282/

In January-March, 2015, seaport Azov handled 1.07 mln t of cargo (-3.5%, year-on-year), Vladimir Bragin, Harbour Master of port Azov told IAA PortNews.

Transshipment of grain declined by 4.8% to 682,000, oil products – climbed by 10.4% to 212,000 t, coal – by 6.8% to 126,000 t.

In the reported period, exports fell by 16.4% to 857,000 t, imports – by 34.8% to 45,000 t. Transshipment of coastal trade cargo totaled155,000 t (no coastal trade cargo was handled in QI’14). Transit remained flat at 13,000 t.

In the first quarter of 2015, the office of Port Azov Harbour Master registered 308 incoming and 311 outgoing vessels (against 358 and 358 vessels registered in 2014).

Source: http://en.portnews.ru/news/198171/

In March 2015, COSCO and Yang Ming launched regular calls to CJSC Container Terminal Saint-Petersburg within the framework of an integrated service.

The firs call was made on March 16 by 1,402-TEU container carrier Suderoog operated by Yang Ming. The ship delivered 165 TEUs to the terminal.

The second call was made on March 21 by 1,368-TEU container carrier HOOGE (COSCO).

The new weekly service with the following rotation: Hamburg – Saint-Petersburg – Kotka – Hamburg will call to the terminal on Mondays and Saturdays.

Container Terminal Saint-Petersburg (member of UCL Port, the stevedoring division of the international transportation group UCL Holding) is a modern container handling facility in the Fourth District of the Greater Port of Saint-Petersburg. In 2014 the terminal handled 387,600 TEU.

COSCO Container Lines Co., Ltd. is a global shipping company, one of top 5 container operators.

Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation (Yang Ming) is one of the world’s leading shipping companies involved in container transportation.

Off-harbour transshipment complex TOR has been tested in Slavyanka, says press center of Tranzit-DV Group.

The complex was built in 2014 at the shipyard of Damen in Nantung  (China) under the order of Tranzit-DV .

As part of the tests TOR transshipped the 20-ft container onto the Zolotaya Kolyma bulker. When being tested, both vessels were moored to the fixed anchor at the off-harbour anchorage in Slavyanka Bay.

Off-harbour transshipment complex TOR is a floating crane of 1,700 DWT able to lift containers of up to 50 t to 36 meters. It technical characteristics allow handling container carriers of up to 400 meters in length with the speed of 1 container per minute.

“Thus, the technological task on implementation of loading\unloading operations at the anchorage of Slavyanka has been successfully performed for further implementation of the project on creation of a transport and logistic complex,” the statement says.

TRanzit-DV Group renders services in the markets of processing and delivery of energy resources (oil products, coal, natural gas), bunkering and shipping.

Source: http://portnews.ru/news/197450/

From April 1, 2015, Ust-Luga port’s border service under FSB of Russia has banned handling of vessels at the anchorage No 11 of port Ust-Luga if there are unauthorized persons onboard (surveyors, forwarders etc.), IAA PortNews learnt from the agency companies operating in Ust-Luga. According to the source, the companies had been informed about the new rule by Aleksei Ivontjev, head of Ust-Luga check-point.

There is no written order so far. The agency and survey companies asked by IAA PortNews say there are no legal grounds for introduction of such regulations by border services. Such a measure has been introduced for the first time since Ust-Luga port was put into operation in 2011.

Under the new rules, ‘unauthorized persons’ are practically expected to come and to leave on their own by a rented boat. The border service should be informed by ‘unauthorized persons’ about their departure by any method as “as they cannot leave the vessel together with the arrival of the state commission”, the rules say. The commission starts moving towards a vessel only when informed.

Boat rent costs about $500 per hour in Ust-Luga and it should be rented for at least 3 hours to perform the survey. Besides, an additional permit of the border services is required for a boat to approach a vessel at Ust-Luga anchorage.

So, the source says, this will entail the extension of the idle period of vessels and additional costs for ship owners.

Source: http://portnews.ru/news/197439/