Rosnefteflot has perhaps the most powerful and modern harbor tugs fleet in Russia. The company has successfully been operating for over 6 years the country's biggest offshore oil transshipment facility. Rosnefteflot General Director Andrei Aprelenko told about the company’s plans for construction of new tugs and bunkering tankers, as well as the prospects of operation of Belokamenka FSO in a recent interview with PortNews.

The global shipbuilding industry could be hit in the next few years by another crisis. Shipbuilding capacities that increased to meet the growing demand may face a problem of overproduction on the market (there has been an overstock of some types of ships). Shipowners will also have to prepare for hard times.

Because of changes in conditions on the world markets, the structure of cargo turnover of the Murmansk Commercial Seaport (MCS) may change. Victor Morozov, MCS’ CEO told about this, as well as further development plans of the stevedore company in an interview with PortNews.

An attempt of the Russian Ministry of Defense to order the Mistral class helicopter carrier at a French shipyard gave rise to heated debates over the future of Russian shipbuilding industry. This became a background for an unfolding battle for the shipbuilding assets between its owner United Industrial Corporation and the state United Shipbuilding Corporation, making bids for the shipyards.

Commercial Port of Vladivostok (CPV) is one of the most fast growing ports of the Far East region of Russia, which handles a wide range of goods. It demonstrated amazing growth pace in the crisis year, and continues strong trend this year. In a recent interview with PortNews Vladislav Pertsev CEO of CPV told about plans of port development.

The Mistral warship construction issue ultimately resulted in a profitable transaction for the Russian shipbuilding industry - the French National Shipbuilding Corporation DCNS and Russia's United Shipbuilding Corporation formed the consortium, which involves an exchange of technologies. The consortium will focus on the construction of technically sophisticated warships and civilian vessels.

One of the pressing problems of the Russian port industry is the situation with state border crossing checkpoints. By law, the financing of its arrangement lies within the state responsibility, but the demands placed upon such points by the state regulatory authorities overestimate the cost of expenses to such an extent that the funds easily run short. Therefore, the state wants to impose the burden of financing the objects on private business, but private companies are not willing to invest without guarantees of their return at the current high prices, requiring simplification of border procedures.

Over the past few years a regional Vessel Traffic Management Information System has been created in the Russian Gulf of Finland. VTS currently covers the entire area with ground-based radars, satellite systems and TV cameras. However, in connection with the construction of ferry terminals of Marine Facade and the Western High Speed Diameter, there is a need to install in the city additional radar equipment

The new inspection regime (NIR) of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control goes into effect from 1 January 2011. The NIR introduces a 100-percent mandatory inspection of vessels, imposes more stringent requirements than the previous one as well to vessels calling at ports in Europe, as to the relevant shipping companies and flags of states. According to some market participants, the introduction of the NIR is in fact a protectionist measure of the European Union.

Russian transport group FESCO has overcome the crisis period largely due to ‘manual mode’ of business management. The Group’s main stockholder Sergei Generalov took the FESCO’s President Office to optimize all of the company’s units. He is developing a strategy of FESCO in the post-crisis period as well. Sergei Generalov told in a recent interview with PortNews what the lessons a Russia's largest transport holding has learned from the crisis and where the company plans to direct its investment program.