Maritime fleet of MMC Norilsk Nickel consisting of 5 strengthened ice-class vessels has commenced direct service from the port of Dudinka to European ports of HamburgRotterdam, the company’s press center reports.
The first trial direct voyage was made in June by diesel-electric ship Talnakh. As of the beginning of September, 47,500 tonnes of export metal was carried by three voyages. On Monday, September 7, 2009 another voyage to Europe is to start from Dudinka by diesel-electric ship Monchegorsk, the company says.
The time needed to deliver a batch of metal by a vessel of Norilsk Nickel type from Dudinka to a European port (some 3,000 miles) is 10-12 days in summer provided that weather conditions are favorable.
By the end of the year MMC Norilsk Nickel plans to fulfill 6 direct voyages to European ports (including that made by the Monchegorsk) and to carry some 75,000 tonnes of export metal goods. Similar service will become regular taking into consideration transportation of cargo by the Company between Murmansk, Archangelsk and Dudinka.
According to Sergei Buzov, deputy Director General of the Company’s Block on commodity-transport logistics, “availability of the Company’s own fleet not only ensures transport security of the company but also makes it possible to considerably decrease transport costs. Through transport logistics improvement we will be able to cut payback period for ice-class vessels.
As it was reported earlier, the delivery of the first ice-class vessel, the Norilsk Nickel, was taken by the company in April 2006. By February 2009, the fleet was completed. As of today it comprises five diesel electric vessels. One vessel costs some EUR 82 mln.
Currently Norilsk Nickel is the only company in the world to own a unique Arctic transport fleet consisting of five vessels of the Norilsk Nickel type, ice-class LV7.
It should be noted that earlier metal goods used to be exported from Dudinka to Murmansk where it was unloaded and then delivered to European ports by other ship owners. It used to take 10 days.
Norilsk Nickel is the world’s largest producer of nickel and palladium and one of the leading producers of platinum and copper. It also produces various by-products, such as cobalt, chromium, rhodium, silver, gold, iridium, ruthenium, selenium, tellurium and sulfur.
The Group is involved in prospecting, exploration, extraction, refining and metallurgical processing of minerals, as well as in production, marketing and sale of base and precious metals.
Norilsk Nickel’s production facilities are located on four continents and in six countries: Russia, Australia, Botswana, Finland, the United States of America and South Africa.