Annual losses from nonproductive idleness of vessels in port Caucasus make $13 mln. As PortNews IAA learnt from the Association of Maritime and Forwarding Agencies (South of Russia), URAMA, this data is taken from the report of URAMA Director Aleksandr Esipenko prepared for the IX International Transport Forum YugTrans-2013. In time terms overhead losses in the port are estimated at 1,050 vessel-days per year.
Esipenko sees the main cause of those losses in remoteness of road transfer area (RTA) No 451 and RTA Tamanski from Seaport Caucasus. Average distance of 25 nautical miles inevitably results in loss of time needed to deliver state controlling authorities (SCA) from Caucasus port to berthing site for in-and-out processing making at least 2.5 hours. With this, in case of congestion of vessels caused, in particular, by unfavorable weather, the idle time multiplies; delayed loading of vessels caused by non-processed loading instructions before completion of export vessel clearance by SCA representatives; demurrage (1 to 2 days) caused by inability of quick processing of out-going export vessels upon loading completion as such documents can be only processed in Novorossiysk; delays of in-and-out processing caused by SCA prohibition to lay out with in bad weather while handling operations are permitted.
URAMA members are concerned about amendments introduced to the draft Regulations for port Caucasus published at the website of RF Transport Ministry and propose introduction of the following amendments:
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№№ of positions in draft Regulations |
As in draft Regulations
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As proposed
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№70 |
Vessels to be accepted in the seaport:
-at berths - up to 150 m long, up to 22 m wide and with draft of up to 5.3 m; -at anchorage No 451 – up to 162 m long and with draft of up to 9.5 m; - at RTA Tamanski – up to 242 m long and with draft of up to 13.4 m. |
Vessels to be accepted in the seaport’s water area: - at berths – up to 150 m long, up to 22 m wide and with draft of up to 5.3 m; - within water area of RTA No 451 (district of anchorage No 451) with draft of up to 11.5 m; - within water area of RTA Tamanski with draft from 11.5 to 17 m |
“If our proposals are not taken into account large-capacity vessels will have to leave for Ukraine and it will be difficult to return customers to Russia. We have already head better experience of losing liquid bulk cargo customers which had left for Ukraine and never returned to Russia as Ukraine finds measures to raise attractiveness of her ports. In particular, in 2012 the Kerch roads from Ukrainean side (close to our anchorage) were used for loading of several large vessels with the capacity of some 180,000 tonnes,” the report reads.