In his interview with IAA PortNews, Maxim Kulinko, Deputy Head of the Northern Sea Route Directorate – Head of Rosatom’s Department for Development of NSR and Costal Territories, tells about the newly approved Northern Sea Route Infrastructure Development Plan, Arctic logistics, dredging and prospects of alternative fuels in the Arctic.

The global market situation, policy of sanctions, trade wars and technological development make long-term forecasts on cargo flows less accurate while infrastructure projects are highly time-intensive. That necessitates a more elaborate study on financial feasibility of investments and synchronization with railway infrastructure development plans.

While European countries announce their plans to reject coal energy generation, the demand for this fuel is growing in Asia. However, too slow modernization of the eastern railways and absence of a long-term concept of the railway rates policy create risks for coal exports. It is internal logistics that matters rather than closeness to sale markets.

In view of the IMO 2020 Sulphur Cap coming into force on January 1, an increasingly high number of ship owners opt for LNG with gas fuel system already being installed on Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCVs). Infrastructure for LNG bunkering is underdeveloped in Russia yet, while liberalization of LNG export and its price deregulation can facilitate investments in this segment.

Electric power supply based on polyethylene and solid oxide fuel cells can become the most promising and universally applicable way to reduce environmental and economic risks of maritime shipping.

The Secretary-General of IMO Kitack Lim visited Moscow at the invitation of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation and took part in Transport of Russia Exhibition. In a short interview with PortNews IAA Mr. Kitack Lim spoke about main challenges the industry is facing.

In her interview with IAA PortNews, Irina Olkhovskaya, Director for Port and Railway Projects, UMMC OJSC, tells about application of public private partnership principle for implementation of the largest investment port project – Phase 3 of the dedicated coal transshipment facility.

Speculation about possible shifting of Rostov-on-Don port’s First Cargo District have intensified again although the regional budget has no resources for that purpose. Meanwhile, the stevedore is investing in new protection technologies. The situation is not unique being typical for many ports in Russia and worldwide.

In November 2019, not only do we celebrate the 125th anniversary of Russia’s leading scientific center of naval architecture, we actually mark the birthday of the country’s shipbuilding science.

In view of tougher restrictions on sulphur content in marine fuel to be effective from 2020, international companies and classification societies are searching new fuel alternatives while scientist are warning about implications of using low sulphur fuel for fuel systems.