Port charges to be finally calculated by FTS

New rates for port charges may be approved by Federal Tariff Service (FTS) by the beginning of autumn. Regardless the request of antimonopoly boards of Promorje to review the system of port charges in the region, new rates for charges of all the Russian ports are to be considered simultaneously. The Far East ports should not count on any preferences.

The term is not specified
FTS plans to held at the end of august 2006 preliminary hearing related to «The Provision on charges for vessels at sea trade ports of the Russian Federation». According to the information provided to PortNews IAA at the service’s department of seaports, this term is to be kept provided that materials coming from Ministry of Transport of RF need no adjustment. “If we have to ask Federal Agency of Sea and River Transport of Ministry of Transport for additional economic data necessary for calculation of new rates the term of preliminary hearing will have to be postponed”, explained by telephone a member of the department personnel.

As PortNews IAA informed earlier, at the end of 2005 Ministry of Transport suggested to review the existing system of port charges in RF. The draft for new Provision on port charges, prepared by the ministry, was furnished to FTS on April, 24. FTS specialists asked Rosmorport FSUE immediately for documents serving as a ground for economic calculation of new rates for port charges. Now the personnel of the Service finalize their work on the documents received.

New system of port charges not only to change the list itself (it is planned to exclude anchorage and berthing dues but to additional add towage due), but also to change the subject for collection of charges. The calculation of charges was earlier based on cubic number method while now gross tonnage is to be taken for consideration for each vessel. This fact changes the rates. As Alexei Klyavin, Director of the Deprtment of state politics for sea and river transport, told PortNews IAA in an interview, “transition from complicated volume to Brutto Register Tonnage may not be expressed in direct proportion since Brutto Register Tonnage reflects total volume of cargo spaces which are different depending on a vessel configuration”. So the rates of port charges may increase. Among other novelties planned the transition to calculation of charges in rubles may also be noted.

If the preliminary hearing on a new provision is successful, the document will be handed over to the Board of FTS for further consideration. Then there should come a separate order of FTS, which may start to be applied at seaports of Russia this very year.

The regions are hastening
Meanwhile Federal Antimonopoly Service Board of Primorski Krai asks Federal Tariff Service of RF to review port charges in the region. In particular, as the Primorje media write Vladimir Talantsev, head of the Far East FASB notified on the 31st of July of unattractiveness of the Far East ports for foreign vessels to call in owing to high rates. As a contrast, vessels coming China and Korea wait in a line to moor at their berths, as it is much cheaper there.

FTS is not going to consider the problems of Promorje ports «out of turn». The members of the Department for seaports of FTS specified that FTS’s opinion is to be considered when developing the draft for new Provision on port charges, but it is not to be considered individually in respect to the ports of Primorje. “We cannot afford working separately for different regions. We now consult with Administrations of individual ports and regional branches of Rosmorport FSUE but there will be only one document adopted. It will, of course, reflect specific features of each port”, said FTS representative to PortNews IAA.