The version for the print

  • 2007 October 10

    Port charges under calculation

    Federal Tariffs Service (FTS) promises to approve new rates of port charges by the end of the current year. Regardless repeated postponing of the decision experts think this time the charges will be finally approved.

     

    Open date

    The date when new rates of port charges will come into effect was announced several times by different authorities. RF Transport Ministry’s Department of state policy in the sphere of marine and river transport initially said the new rates will be applied from the end of 2006. Yuri Parfeonov, Head of RosMorPort , used to say the system of payments will be changed from February 2007, while the participants of port business expected the document will be issued July 1, 2007. Finally, Federal Tariffs Service announced the new date. “By the end of 2007, the document is likely to be approved,” the Service’s representative told PortNews IAA in an interview.

     

    The rates to be revised

    The rates of port charges currently applied in Russia were approved in August 1995. From that time the system of port charges distribution has not changed considerably. In late 2005, the Transport Ministry proposed to revise the existing system.

    New Provision on Charges from Vessels in RF Commercial Seaports envisions several principal changes. First of all, the list of port charges will be amended. The Ministry plans to abolish anchorage and berthing dues but to introduce a towage due. Besides, it is supposed to change the item of charges collection. Earlier the rates were calculated according to cubic number method while this time they will be based on a vessel’s gross register tonnage. It should result in change of rates. Aleksei Klyavin, Director of the Department of state policy in the sphere of marine and river transport, earlier told PortNews IAA about major changes to be introduced into the structure of port charges according to the initiative of the Ministry of Transport. In particular, he said that calculation of port charges will be based on so-called brutto register tonnage. Though Klyavin noted there is no task to raise or to add port charges it is entirely possible that the rates will go up.

    RosMorPort in its turn insists on revision of the rates which has not been changed from 1995. Yuri Parfeonov, Director General of RosMorPort , told in one of his interviews that common opinion about Russian port charges as very high ones is not correct. “Today our port charges total only $0.9 from each tonne of cargo, while in China it is $1.2.” According to RosMorPort ’s estimations, new method will make it possible to raise annual volume of port charges to RUR 10 billion. Among other changes it is also planned to transfer to calculation in rubles.

     

    ***

    Port charges as well as other dues are transferred for repair of hydraulic engineering facilities. According to Parfeonov, funding gap within this item of expenses in the port of St. Petersburg makes RUR 600 million.

    Absence of a long-term system of port charges hinders planning of investment activities of RosMorPort FSUE (owner of state hydraulic engineering facilities in seaports on the basis of economic control rights). It is difficult to plan considerable investments into development and reconstruction of port infrastructure till RosMorPort knows the amount of port charges coming to the company’s account. The lessees of the berths (stevedoring companies, still having no long-term agreements) are not interested in infrastructure projects under PPP terms as neither new method for lease of state-owner property nor new terms for lease agreement have been approved yet.
 All relevant topics...