Nikolay Smirnov: «We've managed to save the fleet in the complicated period »
In the south regions of Russia vessels traffic in inland waterways started in the first decade of April. Since April 30th transit navigation will have been launched on Volga-Baltic Route. Nikolay Smirnov, President of Association of shipping companies, told in his interview with Port News IAA about the challenges and problems of river navigation in 2010.
- Nikolay Grigoryevich, how can you describe navigation for shipping companies-ASC members, that took place at the high point of economic slump in 2009?
- Accounting year appeared to be quite a severe test for shipping companies, members of Association due to the decline in production volume and demand for freight services in particular basic branches of economy. In general, flow of river transport traffic dropped by 53 milion tones or by 35 % as of 2008. However many shipping companies managed to save customer base, shipboard personnel and occupy transport fleet with work. Traffic volume in inland waterways of EU countries did decrease by 25% during this period.
As of now, we mark successful work of tanker fleet operators in 2009: shipping companies BashVolgotanker, which increased flow of traffic almost on 1 million tones (with 26% year-over-year increase), Anship (21% increase), Admiral Maritime (17% increase), Pime Shipping and Volga-fleet tanker (12% increase), Navigator and Palmali Company (9% increase).
Transpetrochart LLC provided 30%growth in the volume of dry cargo traffic , enterprises of the Group of company Azovo-Donskoe shipping- 15% growth. Number of other shipping companies also made such contribution.
Shipping companies of Siberia delivered all consignments, including those designed for the arrangement of new oil and gas fields in Western Siberia and to the construction sites of the main oil pipeline Eastern Siberia - Pacific Ocean.
-How it became possible to reach such figures last year?
- These results have been achieved owing to coordinated work of ASA and Rosmorrechflot, shipping companies and Government basin authorities of inland waterways and shipping industry. Especially noticeable is the result of improved navigation conditions on the Volga-Baltic States, where shipping companies, as you know, within three years additional backed dredging of problem areas of the channel. And as a result, in the last navigation depth on the Volga-Balt allowed to load ships with 3.7 meters water draft.
It is fair to say the considerable part of shipping companies expenditures on dredging work was offset by increase of fleet efficiency.
In the south, in the difficult conditions of low water level, through rational water releases of Tsimlyansk Reservoir it was managed to provide continuous navigation to the lower Don River throughout all navigation period.
In 2009, positive practice of navigation period extender was retained. Rosmorrechflot at the request of ASC extended navigation on the Volga-Baltic Canal, and the lower Don River and VDSK from 8 to 15 days.
-How do members of the ASC deal with the internavigational financing gap? Do they manage to get public subsidies in this case?
- With low demand for dry-cargo transportation, there are no, except credit, sources to back fleet maintainence and ship fuel purchases for most shipping companies.
In carrying out activities in the implementation of government support measures shipping companies, the Association of Russian Ministry of Transport sent a proposal on the need to subsidize the state of the costs of inland navigation companies to pay the interest on loans for their activities in mezhnavigatsionny period. This proposal was supported by the Minister and is reflected in the Resolution of the Board of 9 July 2009.
Based on expert calculations performed by ASC, the amount of subsidy from the budget for this purpose in 2010 in the draft government decrees identified a total of about 180 million rubles.The draft resolution is being coordinated at the federal bodies of executive power, and hopefully to its early adoption, which is especially important at the end of navigation in 2010.
-More and more attention is paid to innovation development of various sectors of Russian economy. Maybe shipping companies should look more attentive to innovative technologies?
- Most of the analytical work was done by members of the ASC in the innovative development of water transport in accordance with the procedure of consideration at the presidium of the State Council in Ulyanovsk.
Proposals were worked out for the arrangement of new vessels with the use of innovative approaches that are being implemented during the construction of new tankers and bulk carriers by group of companies "Palmali" and Construction company "Volga Shipping". It is primarily use as a propulsion propeller-rudder surface size reduction due to the size or the transformation of the superstructure, providing high-end automation of machines and tools to operate the ship in a mode matching jobs without constant watch in the engine room with crew of no more than 7 people (at the existing courts crew of 13 people).
Speaking of innovative transportation technologies on water transport, experience of the European Union is quite notable, which as an innovative direction considering freight forwarding from land transport to less energy-intensive, cleaner and safer river transport.
Significant reserves of carrying capacity of river transport provide an opportunity to unload roads and railways, through which cargo is transferred to the ports of neighboring countries.
We see the prospects in the development of multimodal transport and request to accelerate the adoption of the above-mentioned federal law. By analogy with the EU, it should be a national program. The initiator of its preparation as we consider should be the Russian Ministry of Transport.
In the field of new technologies introduction the experience of "Azov-Don Shipping Company” JSC is a model. It introduces a new transport-technological scheme of the transport of goods by inland waterways and in coastal navigation.
Interviewed by Sofia Vinarova