Smart Bulk Terminal for transshipment of PhosAgro fertilizers has been launched today, June 16, at Ust-Luga port (Leningrad region), reports IAA PortNews correspondent.
The ceremony held within the frameworks of St. Petersburg International
Economic Forum was attended by Acting Governor of the Leningrad Region Aleksandr Drozdenko, PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev, Chairman of Ust-Luga Company BoD Valery Izrailyt, Deputy Head of Oktyabrskaya Railway Andrey Pankov, Director General of Ultramar Andrey Bonch-Bruyevich, Head of FSBI Baltic Sea Ports Authority Peotr Parinov.
According to Andrey Bonch-Bruyevich, the terminal is a breakthrough project in terms of cargo handling speed and quality.
Andrey Guryev, in his turn, noted that the development of the company’s own transshipment facilities would enhance the efficiency of its sales and reduce the transport costs, which is to improve the product competitiveness.
According to Aleksandr Drozdenko, the development of PhosAgro facilities and establishment of the company’s own terminal in the Leningrad Region is yet another confirmation of the region’s attractiveness for implementation of hi-tech projects.
“We associate the new terminal with more tax revenue, development of infrastructure and generation of jobs,” said the governor.
The capacity of the new terminal exceeds 1.5 mln t of mineral fertilizers per year with a possibility to boost it to 2.2 mln t. The project features high investment efficiency.
The terminal’ storage capacity is about 8,000 t. If necessary, it can be doubled as well as the terminal’s throughput capacity.
Mineral fertilizers are loaded from wagons onto vessels in special containers used for accumulation of batches with different fertilizers. The terminal can handle up to 180 wagons (some 12,000 t of mineral fertilizers) per day and load up to 115,000 t onto vessels.
Containers are supplied by China International Marine Container (China).
It is an inaugural entry to the Russian market for the Chinese company. Total investments into the project are estimated at RUB 650 mln. PhosAgro and Ultramar will finance the project with their own resources on a pro rata basis (70/30).
PhosAgro and Ultramar (Russia’s largest transporter of mineral fertilizers in containers) have earlier established Smart Bulk Terminal LLC, their own operator on transshipment of mineral fertilizers via the port of Ust-Luga (Leningrad region). PhosAgro owns 70% of the company.
PhosAgro is Europe’s largest producer of phosphate-based fertilisers, the world’s largest producer of high-grade phosphate rock and the world’s second largest producer (excluding China) of MAP and DAP (according to Fertecon), Russia’s only producer of feed monocalcium phosphate (MCP), and also the sole producer of nepheline concentrate in Russia. PhosAgro’s primary assets include Apatit, PhosAgro-Cherepovets (established as a result of the merger of Ammophos and Cherepovetsky Azot), Agro-Cherepovets, Balakovo branch of OJSC Apatit, Metachem, PhosAgro-Trans, PhosAgro-Region and NIUIF.
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