Several new port development projects have been announced recently in Russia. The projects successful implementation will likely help shift Russian exports flow, primarily bulk cargo, currently transshipped at foreign ports, to Russia’s harbours. This half-year results showed a 20-percent drop in Russian cargo transshipment through foreign ports, to 21.35 million tonnes.

We are used to talking about the low competitiveness of Russian shipyards. However, not everything is so simple abroad. Thus, one of the leading shipbuilding groups Royal IHC, specializing in innovative shipbuilding, does not seem to stand up to global competition being in a crisis situation, disrupting the delivery time of ships and increasing the cost of their construction.

Without normal flood on the Oka river, it has gone low and unnavigable that resulted in cancellation of voyages and some companies’ losses. Representatives of the shipping community blame the Moscow Canal for not performing dredging at the appropriate time while the Canal representatives say that the dredging is underway. The situation is aggravated by an incident in Tushino and suspension of works on the Beloomut hydraulic engineering system.

In the first half of 2019, Russia’s container market grew by 8.5% to 2.98 million TEUs. The industry experts say the growth can be as high as 9%, or 6.1 million TEUs, by the end of the year. However, certain macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions as well as development of outer ports on the Baltic Sea are required to ensure further stable growth.

Russian shipbuilding is in dire need of orders for large-series production. That will let considerably reduce the cost of construction and the periods of contracts execution. In his interview with IAA PortNews, Maksim Agadzhanov, General Director of Gazprombank Leasing JSC, tells where solvent customers can be found and how international level can be reached.

Nuclear-powered missile carriers built by Severedvinsk based Sevmash shipyard have made the core of Russia’s maritime nuclear force. Mikhail Budnichenko, General Director of the defence industry shipyard, tells IAA PortNews about the large-scale modernization of the company parallel to fulfillment of both military and civil strategic orders.

Ambitious programmes in virtually all segments of commercial shipbuilding have been announced in Russia. In his interview with IAA PortNews, Vitaly Gvozdev, General Director of Nordic Engineering, tells about ship designing, production of shipboard equipment, general trends and the development plans of the company.

Mikhail Skigin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Petersburg Oil Terminal JSC, tells IAA PortNews about modernization of the terminal and oil product logistics in the region.

Bunkering and shipping industry in Russia and worldwide anticipates the approach of 2020 with the 0.5% sulphur cap for bunker fuel. Experts say the market is not generally ready for new standards running the risk of facing large-scale violations of IMO requirements. Meanwhile, Russia is looking into building container carriers powered by nuclear fuel. These are some of issues discussed at the 12th Russian Forum “Current State and Prospects for Development of Russian Bunker Services Market”.

Oil terminal in Kerch is under judicial dispute between the ports of Crimea and fuel company TES while petrol is already in deficit on the Crimean peninsula.