IAA PortNews’ summary of previous week news

RF Transport Strategy until 2030 with a forecast until 2035 published last week is available in Russian on our website.

Ports

RF Transport Ministry initiated introduction of amendments into Article 31 of the Federal Law on Sea Ports to oblige operators of sea terminals give priority to handling of socially important cargo.

Rosterminalugol JSC, operator of Russia’s largest dedicated terminal offering technologically advanced handling of coal says it commenced the construction of wind and dust protection screens around the company’s coal storage area.

Throughput of southern ports is on the rise. Oil shipments via CPC Marine Terminal in 11M’21 climbed by 0.7% YoY, the port of Azov increased cargo handling by 1%.

As for new port projects, they are mostly accumulated in the Arctic basin. Annual throughput of Severnaya Zvezda project on Taimyr peninsula to exceed 7 million tonnes from 2026. Construction of ice protection facilities at Utrenny terminal under Arctic LNG 2 project to be completed in 2022.

Gazprom is preparing for launching its LNG terminal KS Portovaya in the Leningrad Region.

Shipping and Bunkering

Leading stevedoring companies are initiating privileges to be provided to environmentally friendly ships. MSSC Bronka will over a 10-pct discount for servicing of ships with power plants running on LNG and hybrid power plants. The discount will be offered from 1 January 2022.

Global shipping companies are introducing alternative fuels. “K” LINE conducted a trial use of marine biofuel which was supplied by global integrated energy company BP on car carrier “POLARIS HIGHWAY”. The CMA CGM Group and Shell performed the first Bio-LNG bunkering trial in Rotterdam.

As for container freight rates, there is no stable trend towards a considerable decrease, according to experts.

Shipbuilding

Rosatom says two more LK-60 icebreakers should be built to organize a regular year-round navigation on the Northern Sea Route, otherwise the tasks set for 2030 cannot be implemented. Rosatom is ready to invest in construction of icebreakers running on liquefied natural gas (LNG) under long-term agreements with the customers. According to Rosatom, LNG-powered icebreakers for the Arctic can be built with involvement of foreign contractors. Meanwhile, nuclear-powered icebreaker of Project 22220 named Sibir is expected to commence operation in the Kara Sea in early January 2022.

Vyborg Shipyard PJSC (a company of United Shipbuilding Corporation) has launched the fourth processing trawler of Project KMT01 named Kara Sea (Karskoye Morye). Alexeev’s Hydrofoil Design Bureau (Nizhny Novgorod Region) launched yet another Valdai 45R hydrofoil (Hull No С-514) for Chuvashia.

Hydraulic engineering and dredging

Shipping locks NoNo 15-16 of the Gorodetsky hydrosystem including the construction of an additional lock chamber and a shipping canal between Gorodets and Nizhny Novgorod will be conducted by “Monolithic Construction Department – 1” JSC, the only bidder of the previously announced tender. The contract price exceeds RUB 21.77 billion.

The scope of annual maintenance dredging in the Gulf of Ob is estimated at 5 million cbm from 2023, according to Hydrographic Company.

In the navigation season of 2021, 1.59 million cbm of material was dredged in the Azov-Don Basin of Russia’s inland water ways.

Phase 2 of the project on reconstruction of Sabetta seaport’s Seaway Canal planned for 2022 foresees dredging of about 13 million cbm of material.

As for the legislation, the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation at its 513rd session held today, 1 December 2021, approved the Federal Law “On Ratification of The Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, 2007.

On 16-17 February 2022, IAA PortNews will hold the 5th International Congress “Hydraulic Engineering Structures and Dredging” at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, Moscow. The Congress combines the 9th International Forum of Dredging Companies and the 5th Technical Conference “Modern Solutions for Hydraulic Works".>>>>