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  • 2008 December 24

    Recommendations of Round Table participants furnished to RF executive and legislative authorities

    PortNews information & analytical agency supported by the Association of Shipping Companies and Saint Petersburg Transit Transport Committee has held a Round Table meeting "Prospects of container transportation by Russia’s inland waterways" within the framework of Transtek-2008. The meeting participants note positive trends in development of shipping at inland waterways of the Russian Federation. According to their opinion it should be attributed to political and economic stabilization of the country and consequent growth of state investments in improvement of IWW infrastructure and navigation safety.

    In view of dynamically growing container flow and overloaded highways in European part of the Russian Federation, river transport has a considerable potential to deliver containers to the regions adjacent to RF IWW, especially as it is the most environmentally friendly type of transport.

    IWW cargo flow can be generated by containers delivered by sea-going vessels to mouth ports of the Russian Federation as well as by inland transportation of cargo.

    The participants of the Round Table have specified 6 factors influencing the development of container transportation by RF inland waterways:

    • lack of specialized tonnage of river-going vessels for container transportation by RF IWW.
    • necessity of cooperation with railway carriers for availability of logistics chains and routs between navigation periods and for their further transfer to inland water transport.
    • construction of comprehensive logistics terminals at RF IWW for minimization of costs for door-to-door delivery of goods to a customer.
    • support of customs authorities for transit transportation of containers by RF IWW via mouth ports of the Russian Federation without delays.
    • cooperation with ocean carriers of containerized cargo for creation of a well balanced cargo flow.
    • development of state measures to support cargo owners using inland water transport for transportation of containers.

    The participants of the Round Table meeting noted high interest of Russian shipping companies, logistics operators and operators of river ports and terminals in development of container transportation by RF IWW.

     

    The participants have taken the following decisions:

     

    1.      to consider it reasonable to arrange in 2009 test runs of container transportation by inland water transport from the port of St. Petersburg to the regions located at inland waterways of the RF European part.

    2.      to support the following recommendations worked out at the seminar “On construction of inland water transport by Russian enterprises basing on PPP principle” (Moscow, September 30, 2008) to ensure favorable environment for construction of new specialized river fleet:

    • to speed up consideration and submitting the following draft project to the State Duma; “On introduction of amendments into certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation in so far as they relate to facilitation of RF shipbuilding industry development;
    • to create state leasing company for arrangement of serial production of sea and river vessels;
    • introduction of amendments into certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation considering expansion of activities of Russian International Register of Vessels as well as elaboration of a draft law stimulating cargo owners to transfer from land transport to sea transport;
    • private companies and branch associations should develop long-term plans for implementation of investment projects aimed at development and modernization of river transport including construction of new river fleet and development of transport infrastructure according to public-private partnership principles.

    3.    to ask St. Petersburg Committee for Transit Transport Policy to assist in construction of new logistics terminals at the Neva river within administrative limits of St. Petersburg. Such terminals are to serve as in-land terminals of the Big Port of St. Petersburg and as multimodal terminals considering motor transport operation.

    4.   to recommend that cargo owners apply linear service (scheduled operation) for container transportation by IWW similar to river transportation of passengers.

    5. to entrust the Association of Shipping Companies with a function to develop cooperation of Russian shipping companies ready to handle containerized cargo with international ocean carriers, forwarders and seaports to revive well-balanced cargo flow at IWW.

    6.   to ask the RF Ministry of Transport to consider possible cooperation of river carriers with Russian Railways OJSC in order to ensure stable and regular container service in winter through maintaining a corresponding container flow between navigation periods.

    Recommendations of the Round Table meeting "Prospects of container transportation by Russia’s inland waterways" have been sent to the RF executive and legislative authorities
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