Agreement with Mobi Dick to be dissolved soon
Agreement for lease of a 5.5 hectares land plot for construction of the third phase of Mobi Dick container terminal may be dissolved on October 31. According to the information provided by PortNews IAA reporter, this has been announced at today’s briefing by Alexei Chichkanov, deputy chairman of Saint Petersburg MPMC (Municipal Property Management Committee). According to him, the existing lease agreement was concluded with the company in 2004 under investment conditions. This agreement provisioned finalization of the third phase of Kronshtadt terminal in the third quarter of 2005 as well as payment of investment part into the state budget to the amount of $1.5 million. However, the facilities have not been finalized within the term specified. Besides, Mobi Dick has failed to coordinate the construction project with the Russian Federal Agency for Construction, Housing Maintenance and Utilities (FACHMU), Chichkanov says. The Government of Saint Petersburg extended the agreement with Mobi Dick to October 31. Now, renewal of the agreement is possible only with execution of an additional agreement stipulating temporary suspension of the agreement for 2 years – the period necessary for construction of a navigation pass С – 1 at the dam. This site is necessary for Federal Fiscal Enterprise «Complex for protection of Saint Petersburg from flooding» (Dam), Chichkanov says - the site is to be used for warehousing of inert and bulk cargo. According to the Land Code, only MPMC may be a leaseholder for FFE, Chichkanov.
Chichkanov explained that Valentina Matvienko, Saint Petersburg Governor, guarantees renewal of the agreement by March 1, 2009. Chichkanov thinks that the enterprise would prefer direct lease agreement with FACHMU. Since it is impossible the current agreement is to be dissolved upon its termination, he says. Chichkanov does not exclude that the site may be tendered in 2 years.