Privatization process of 1990-ies featured too many excesses. Lots of enterprises sank because of unprofessionalism of their new owners with tens of thousands of people having lost their work. However, there are some positive examples of that privatization. Murmansk Sea Fishing Port is certainly among them.

The process of fishing fleet modernization has finally got moving in Russia. Peotr Savchuk, deputy head of the Federal Agency for Fishery (Rosrybolovstvo), tells IAA PortNews about the demand for fishing ships, required measures of state support, absence of demand for domestic designs and instruments to improve attractiveness of Russian shipyards.

Russia is actively implementing its policy of import substitution, domestic manufacture of marine components and equipment. In a recent interview with IAA PortNews Denis Samsikov. Executive Director of Okskaya Sudoverf told about the percentage of domestic production of components for vessels under construction at Okskaya Shipyard and what Shipyard OKA JSC has undertaken to upgrade its own facilities with the help of local suppliers of domestic products.

In the first half of 2018, Black Sea container terminals of Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia and Bulgaria handled 1,472,826 TEUs including empty containers and excluding transshipment.

After the collapse of the USSR, the development of transport activities in the Caspian Sea region was complicated due to its uncertain legal status. The signing of the Convention on the Status of the Caspian Sea has put an end to its "transitional" post-Soviet period. Lots of ambitious plans ahead, but there are also quite a few problems.

Transshipment of Russia’s foreign trade cargo via the ports of the Baltic states and Ukraine in the first half of this year fell by 7.5% to 22.2 million tonnes. Their share has decreased from 6.51% in HI’2017 to 5.88% in HI’2018. High dependence is still observed in the segment of dry bulk cargo while the development of required infrastructure has begun.

Large-scale plans on renovation of the fishing fleet require additional measures of state support. Russian Federal Fisheries Agency suggests compensating 25% of total newbuilding costs while RF Ministry of Industry and Trade calls on applying the measures available today.

Basing on its cooperation with the Republic of Korea, China and Russia, Mongolia is entering the shipping market of the Asia Pacific Region both as an exporter and a carrier. Mr Tuvshintur Saranjav, Head of Mongolian Maritime Administration, Ministry of Road and Transport Development of Mongolia, tells IAA PortNews about this cooperation and near-term plans.

The Russian Government has submitted to the State Duma a draft law intended to develop cruise tourism in the Arctic zone and in the Far East of Russia, streamline the calls of foreign cruise ships in the mentioned regions. The industry experts believe that Arctic cruises have a good development potential but investments into infrastructure are needed.

Draft law on closed transshipment of dusty cargo in seaports has been recently submitted to the State Dгma of Russia. RF Government had not earlier approved the bill. Experts consider it to be excessive and politically motivated. They also believe it can stop coal exports from the country’s ports (some 154 million tonnes per year).