Egor Govorukhin, Vice-President of National Container Company (NCC) has announced that a container terminal in the port of Ust-Luga capable of handling 350,000-500,000 TEU per year is to be put into operation in August of the coming year. The terminal’s commissioning date was postponedtwice already. Analysts think the port is not ready to accept new volumes of cargo

The port of Murmansk is implementing a number of large projects today. This year Murmansk subdivision of RosMorPort FSUE has arranged the control of navigation situation in the KolaBay waters and within 40-mile zone of the Barents Sea coastal waters. In the nearest future the subdivision plans to create a local system of safe navigation in the Kandalaksha Bay, to reconstruct the terminal building in the port of Murmansk and to build an ecological bunkering complex. Yuri Yeremin, director of Murmansk subdivision of RosMorPort FSUE, tells PortNews IAA about implementation of the above projects

RF Government plans to transfer estuary river ports Rostov-on-Don and Azov to the category of river ports in order to improve navigation safety and management system. The ports and shipping companies are in preparation to changes while experts differ in opinion on how large those changes are to be

Finland’s new port Vuosaary will be put into operation before the end of this November. By that time all cargo operations will be moved from the West Harbour and the North Harbour of Helsinki to Vuosaary, from where a direct access to Ring Road III is available. The new harbour complex will be capable of handling 10 million tonnes of cargo per year with ro-ro cargo accounting for 60% and containers – for 40%

The port of Liepaja created in 1990-ies from scratch at the territory of former USSR naval base is the third largest port of Latvia in terms of cargo throughput today. Oil products and loose bulk cargo from CIS countries, mainly Byelorussia, account for a half of its turnover. Ivo Kolins, Head of Liepaja Special Economic Zone Investment and Marketing Department tells PortNews IAA about perspectives of the port development

OJSC “Baltic Plant” started today state performance trial the first new series diesel-electric ice breaker "Moscow" constructed by order of Federal Unitary Enterprise "Rosmorport". During two weeks experts of the enterprise will test the vessel for its maneuverability and controllability, will test work of all mechanisms of the ice breaker at a normal operating mode. Tests will be executed in the water area of the Gulf of Finland. As Rosmorport told to "PortNews" IAA the ice breaker will provide ice conducting in the Gulf of Finland already during winter navigation of 2008-2009

Geteborg is the largest port in the North Europe. Its annual throughput makes some 40 million tonnes of cargo with the majority of it falling on crude and oil products including Russian export. Geteborg is also a larger container handling center. Cecilia Carlsson, media relations officer of the Port of Geteborg tells PortNews IAA about the port’s strategy and development prospects

Member ports of the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) handle some 60% of the world sea-borne trade and 90% of all containerized cargo today. Satoshi Inoue, Secretary General of the Association, tells PortNews IAA about IAPH activities and its cooperation with Russian Association of Sea Commercial Ports

On October 9, PortNews information & analytical agency supported by the Association of Shipping Companies held a Round Table meeting “Port Service as and Instrument to Improve Port Attractiveness” within the framework of Transtek-2008 exhibition held in St. Petersburg. The event was supported by RosMorPort FSUE and Russian Association of Marine and River Bunker Suppliers. Tallinn shipyard, Gazpromneft Marine Bunker and Petersburg Oil Terminal sponsored the Round Table which was dedicated to the current state and perspectives of port class vessels’ renovation in the ports of the Russian Federation

On September, 7 2008, PortNews information & analytical agency supported by the Association of Shipping Companies and Saint Petersburg Transit Transport Committee held a Round Table meeting "Prospects of container transportation by Russia’s inland waterways" within the framework of Transtek-2008 exhibition. We provide our readers with a photo report on the meeting