Early opening of cargo fleet navigation and possible extension of the season are likely to result in increased cargo flow
Numerous shipping companies have already commenced their navigation season on inland water ways of the Russian Federation. IAA PortNews expects 2020 bunker fuel sales on Russia’s IWW to remain at the level of 2019.
Quite comfortable conditions in terms of water level are expected on the rivers of Siberia and the Upper Volga area. It is not the case of navigation on the Don river which is likely to be abnormally shallow in 2020. Main lanes of the Volga river will still have essential infrastructure bottlenecks. Construction works under Nizhny Novgorod low-head water development have been postponed once again.
Meanwhile, early opening of the navigation season for the cargo fleet and possible extension of the season are likely to result in increased cargo flow, which suggests keeping bunker fuel sales on inland water ways of Russia at the level of 2019.
According to IAA PortNews’ Analytics Department, sales of bunker fuel on IWW of the Russian Federation in the navigation season of 2019 totaled about 620,000 tonnes, 3.2% less than in the same period of 2018.
Low water level on the Oka and Lena rivers hindering navigation in 2019 was not the only factor with a negative impact on shipping in the season of 2019. Forest fires in the Irkutsk Region and the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) considerably complicated operation of railway and water transport companies. It also affected the cargo flow on Moscow Canal and repair activities between the locks No 7 and No 8 after a technogenic incident in January 2019.
Among the leaders that offer bunkering services on Russia’s inland water ways are Gazpromneft Marine Bunker, LUKOIL-MarinBunker and RN-Bunker.